Local authority · Hertfordshire Constabulary
Recorded crime in Watford
109.9recorded offences per 1,000 residents
Police recorded 11,828 offences in Watford in the 12 months to June 2026, up 6.3% (702) on the previous 12 months. That is 109.9 per 1,000 residents against 97.4 for England and Wales.
- Home Office · data.police.uk
- street-level crime archive
- local authority via LSOA lookup
- population: ONS mid-2025 estimate, 107,658
Since 2011
Monthly trend
Official figures for this area
Published in the official force-area tables. These are the figures to cite; archive-based numbers above are built from street-level records and may differ.
| Series | Latest | A year earlier | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| Census 2011 usual residentsCensus 2011 · people | 5,460 | — | Census 2011 KS204EW (Nomis, first released 30 January 2013) |
| Census 2021 usual residentsCensus 2021 · people | 1,836 | — | Census 2021 TS004 (Nomis, first released 2 November 2022) |
| Census 2021 economic activity by country of birthCensus 2021 · people | 7 | — | Census 2021 |
| Census 2011 usual residentsCensus 2011 · people | 763 | — | Census 2011 table released 2026-09-02 |
| Census 2021 usual residentsCensus 2021 · people | 763 | — | Census 2021 table released 2026-09-02 |
| Census 2011 usual residentsCensus 2011 · people | 16,170 | — | Census 2011 table released 2026-09-02 |
| Census 2021 usual residentsCensus 2021 · people | 6,488 | — | Census 2021 table released 2026-09-02 |
| Census 2021 usual residentsCensus 2021 · people | 8,787 | — | Census 2021 table released 2026-09-02 |
| Census 2021 socio-economic classification by country of birthCensus 2021 · people | 1,808 | — | Census 2021 |
| Census 2021 highest qualification by country of birthCensus 2021 · people | 423 | — | Census 2021 |
| Census 2011 usual residentsCensus 2011 · people | 6,090 | — | Census 2011 table released 2026-09-02 |
| Census 2021 usual residentsCensus 2021 · people | 859 | — | Census 2021 table released 2026-09-02 |
| Census 2021 tenure by country of birthCensus 2021 · households | 6 | — | Census 2021 |
| Census 2021 tenure by ethnic groupCensus 2021 · households | 1,036 | — | Census 2021 |
| Private rent annual changeJuly 2026 · percent | 3 | 4 | August 2026 (rents to July 2026) |
| Average private rent a monthJuly 2026 · £ a month | 1,819 | 1,752 | August 2026 (rents to July 2026) |
By category, 12 months to June 2026
| Category | Offences | Previous 12 months | Change | Per 1,000 | England & Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 4,008 | 3,492 | ▲ 14.8% | 37.2 | 34.7 |
| Anti-social behaviour (not a crime) | 2,338 | 2,350 | ▼ 0.5% | 21.7 | 15.3 |
| Other theft | 994 | 874 | ▲ 13.7% | 9.2 | 6.5 |
| Shoplifting | 858 | 934 | ▼ 8.1% | 8.0 | 8.3 |
| Criminal damage and arson | 738 | 704 | ▲ 4.8% | 6.9 | 6.9 |
| Public order | 704 | 619 | ▲ 13.7% | 6.5 | 6.8 |
| Vehicle crime | 646 | 694 | ▼ 6.9% | 6.0 | 5.0 |
| Drugs | 464 | 267 | ▲ 73.8% | 4.3 | 3.4 |
| Burglary | 283 | 368 | ▼ 23.1% | 2.6 | 3.6 |
| Bicycle theft | 188 | 155 | ▲ 21.3% | 1.7 | 0.8 |
| Other crime | 182 | 182 | → 0.0% | 1.7 | 2.2 |
| Theft from the person | 179 | 204 | ▼ 12.3% | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| Robbery | 143 | 169 | ▼ 15.4% | 1.3 | 1.4 |
| Possession of weapons | 103 | 114 | ▼ 9.6% | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Public disorder and weapons | 0 | 0 | — | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Violent crime | 0 | 0 | — | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Important caveat
Police-recorded crime counts offences reported to and recorded by the police. It is affected by whether people report crime and by changes in police recording practice, so it does not measure all crime that happens. The Crime Survey for England and Wales is the better guide to long-term trends in the crimes it covers. Police recorded crime is not designated as National Statistics.
A higher recorded-crime rate does not mean an area is more dangerous. Rates depend on how much crime is reported and recorded, on the number of visitors and commuters who are not counted in the resident population, and on the policing priorities of the force. Anti-social behaviour incidents are shown separately because they are not recorded crimes.
Source
- Data
- data.police.uk street-level crime archive (Home Office). Offences are placed at anonymised snap points and assigned to 2021 Lower Layer Super Output Areas, which are mapped to local authorities using the ONS Open Geography lookup.
- Population
- ONS mid-year population estimates for England and Wales, mid-2025 edition, local authority level; force populations are the sum of their local authorities.
- Geography
- E07000103 · force Hertfordshire Constabulary (E23000027)
- Rate
- offences in the 12 months ÷ resident population × 1,000, rounded to one decimal place.
- Method
- Methodology