How to check crime in your area in the UK

Posted on by Safety App UK team

To check crime in your area, enter your postcode on police.uk. It shows crime and anti-social behaviour reported near you, month by month, split into categories, for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Each crime is pinned to an approximate nearby point, not the exact address, and the data is always at least a month behind. Scotland is not included; Police Scotland publishes its own figures.

Updated 26 September 2026 · Sources: police.uk, data.police.uk, GOV.UK, Neighbourhood Watch

Is a crime happening right now?

A crime map is for planning, not emergencies. If someone is in danger or a crime is in progress, call 999. If you can’t speak, stay on the line and follow the operator’s instructions.

How do I check crime near me, step by step?

1. Search your postcode

Go to police.uk and type a postcode, town or street into the search box. Pick the neighbourhood that matches where you live, work or study.

2. Open the crime map

The map shows crimes and anti-social behaviour reported in that area. Choose a month and a category to narrow it down, or view the figures as a list.

3. Look at the pattern, not one month

One busy month can be a single incident with several reports. Compare several months and look at which categories keep coming up.

4. Meet your neighbourhood team

The same police.uk page lists your neighbourhood policing team, their current local priorities and how to contact them.

What can a crime map tell you, and what can’t it?

It can show

Which types of crime are reported most often near you, and whether they are rising or falling over several months.

It can’t show

Exact addresses. Every crime is moved to the nearest approved map point, such as the middle of a street or a park.

It misses

Crime that was never reported, and anything from the last few weeks, because the data is published a month or more later.

How do I read what I see on the map?

Is the crime map accurate?

It is accurate about what was reported, but deliberately vague about where. To protect privacy, every crime is snapped to a pre-set map point that covers at least eight addresses, or none at all, such as a park or a car park. The data covers the 43 police forces in England and Wales, British Transport Police and the Police Service of Northern Ireland. It is updated monthly, so it never shows the last few weeks.

How do I check crime in Scotland?

Police Scotland does not supply street-level crime data to police.uk, so the police.uk map doesn’t cover Scottish neighbourhoods (only some British Transport Police railway data appears). Police Scotland publishes regular crime statistics by local area on its own website, scotland.police.uk, and the Scottish Government publishes yearly recorded crime figures.

What should I do with what I find?

  • Adjust your routine, not your life. If thefts from cars keep appearing, park in a lit spot. If a path shows repeated incidents, choose a busier route after dark.
  • Report what you see. Call 101 or report online for anything that isn’t an emergency. If you’d rather stay anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
  • Fix the environment. Report broken street lights, graffiti or fly-tipping to your council. Many councils also handle anti-social behaviour reports.
  • Speak to your neighbourhood team. Local priorities are often set from what residents raise at meetings or online.
  • Join or start a Neighbourhood Watch. Neighbourhood Watch (ourwatch.org.uk) helps neighbours share alerts and work with local police.

Myths and facts about local crime maps

  • Myth: a dot on my road means a crime happened at that house. Fact: dots are approximate and never mark a specific home.
  • Myth: an area with fewer dots is always safer. Fact: quieter areas have fewer people, and some crime goes unreported everywhere.
  • Myth: the map is live. Fact: it is updated monthly and is usually one to two months behind.

Want the numbers for a specific postcode?

Our sister site turns the same official police data into a 12-month summary for any postcode in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, with trends and categories explained in plain English. Use the postcode crime checker or browse the UK crime map.

Frequently asked questions

Yes. police.uk is the official, free police website for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. You don’t need an account.

Crime data is published once a month and the newest month shown is usually one to two months old, so recent crimes appear later. Some crimes are also recorded under a different location or category.

Yes. Look at at least a year of data, compare it with similar streets nearby, visit at different times of day, and talk to neighbours. Numbers alone don’t tell you what a street feels like.

Crimes reported to British Transport Police are included and placed at approximate points; crimes on moving trains are mapped to the end of the journey. For the full rail picture, including Scotland, use the BTP crime map at crimemaps.btp.police.uk.

Sources

General information. Crime data reflects what was reported to police and may be incomplete. In an emergency, always call 999.

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