vehicle crime statistics london
Vehicle crime in London: police data to August 2026
Police.uk open data for London to August 2026, analysed by Clear Security.
On this page
Police.uk open data for London to August 2026, analysed by Clear Security. Part of our UK vehicle crime study; updated quarterly; this edition was published 31 October 2026.
The Metropolitan Police area covers Greater London except the City of London, which has its own force.
Key findings
- Metropolitan Police Service recorded 82,846 vehicle crime offences in the year to August 2026, against 86,807 in the year before (-4.6%). The change is within the ordinary month-to-month variation for London, so we describe it as little changed.
- Council areas: vehicle crime rose in 1 and fell in 8 of the 32 council areas below; in the rest the change was too small to call.
- Outcomes: 89.7% of vehicle crime offences recorded in the year to August 2025 ended with no suspect identified, against 83.1% across England and Wales.
- Busiest month: October averaged 277.1 vehicle crime offences a day over three years, 19.5% more than August.
- Nationally: vehicle crime changed by -3.2% across 38 forces and rose in 17 of them; London's change ranks 22 of 38 (1 is the largest rise).
Vehicle crime by council area in London
Recorded vehicle crime offences in each council area where Metropolitan Police Service recorded at least 80% of the vehicle crime offences:
| Council area | Year to August 2025 | Year to August 2026 | Change | Per 1,000 residents | No suspect identified (year to August 2025) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barking and Dagenham | 2,112 | 2,152 | +1.9% (little changed) | 9.8 | 90.7% |
| Barnet | 3,798 | 3,816 | +0.5% (little changed) | 9.8 | 90.9% |
| Bexley | 1,831 | 1,659 | -9.4% (little changed) | 6.7 | 87.5% |
| Brent | 3,077 | 2,880 | -6.4% (little changed) | 8.5 | 89.1% |
| Bromley | 3,329 | 3,457 | +3.8% (little changed) | 10.5 | 90.9% |
| Camden | 2,701 | 2,134 | -21.0% (fell) | 10.2 | 91.7% |
| Croydon | 3,534 | 3,699 | +4.7% (little changed) | 9.5 | 89.3% |
| Ealing | 4,274 | 4,261 | -0.3% (little changed) | 11.6 | 90.4% |
| Enfield | 3,824 | 3,863 | +1.0% (little changed) | 11.7 | 89.2% |
| Greenwich | 2,463 | 2,639 | +7.1% (little changed) | 9.1 | 89.1% |
| Hackney | 2,150 | 1,877 | -12.7% (fell) | 7.2 | 90.5% |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 1,871 | 1,644 | -12.1% (fell) | 9.0 | 88.9% |
| Haringey | 3,280 | 3,041 | -7.3% (little changed) | 11.5 | 89.8% |
| Harrow | 1,879 | 1,823 | -3.0% (little changed) | 7.0 | 88.3% |
| Havering | 2,177 | 2,236 | +2.7% (little changed) | 8.5 | 89.6% |
| Hillingdon | 3,386 | 3,463 | +2.3% (little changed) | 11.3 | 87.3% |
| Hounslow | 3,054 | 2,633 | -13.8% (fell) | 9.1 | 89.8% |
| Islington | 2,381 | 1,821 | -23.5% (fell) | 8.4 | 91.5% |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 2,576 | 2,047 | -20.5% (fell) | 14.3 | 91.2% |
| Kingston upon Thames | 935 | 989 | +5.8% (little changed) | 5.9 | 90.2% |
| Lambeth | 2,668 | 2,680 | +0.4% (little changed) | 8.4 | 91.0% |
| Lewisham | 2,850 | 2,630 | -7.7% (little changed) | 8.8 | 88.4% |
| Merton | 1,374 | 1,376 | +0.1% (little changed) | 6.4 | 87.6% |
| Newham | 3,890 | 4,789 | +23.1% (rose) | 13.6 | 89.6% |
| Redbridge | 2,904 | 2,654 | -8.6% (little changed) | 8.6 | 89.8% |
| Richmond upon Thames | 1,635 | 1,631 | -0.2% (little changed) | 8.4 | 91.3% |
| Southwark | 2,564 | 2,425 | -5.4% (little changed) | 7.9 | 90.4% |
| Sutton | 1,307 | 1,276 | -2.4% (little changed) | 6.1 | 88.3% |
| Tower Hamlets | 2,598 | 2,627 | +1.1% (little changed) | 8.5 | 90.0% |
| Waltham Forest | 3,183 | 2,515 | -21.0% (fell) | 9.0 | 89.9% |
| Wandsworth | 2,804 | 3,010 | +7.3% (little changed) | 9.2 | 91.3% |
| Westminster | 3,984 | 2,723 | -31.7% (fell) | 13.3 | 91.1% |
A change is called a rise or a fall only when it is statistically clear and at least 10%; see how the study is compiled. Rates use Census 2021 residents. police.uk places vehicle crime where the vehicle was, at work and in town as well as at home, so council areas with many businesses and few residents show higher rates: they are context, not a ranking. A further 376 vehicle crime offences recorded by Metropolitan Police Service in the year to August 2026 were placed in council areas mostly policed by other forces (City of London, Epping Forest, Dartford, Thurrock, Broxbourne and others); they count towards the force total but not the table.
What happened to vehicle crime offences in London
Latest outcome on police.uk for vehicle crime offences recorded in the year to August 2025, so each case had at least a year to progress:
| Latest outcome | London | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 89.7% (77,909) | 83.1% |
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 5.9% (5,097) | 10.6% |
| Court-related | 1.2% (1,002) | 3.0% |
| Status update unavailable | 3.1% (2,678) | 2.8% |
| Other outcomes | 0.1% (121) | 0.5% |
Based on 86,807 vehicle crime offences. Differences partly reflect how each force records outcomes, so this is not a measure of police performance.
When vehicle crime peaks in London
Average recorded vehicle crime offences per day in each calendar month, over three years (September 2023 to August 2026):
| Month | Per day |
|---|---|
| January | 245.9 |
| February | 251.9 |
| March | 239.4 |
| April | 242.3 |
| May | 242.2 |
| June | 240.8 |
| July | 240.8 |
| August | 231.8 |
| September | 265.0 |
| October | 277.1 |
| November | 267.7 |
| December | 235.9 |
Data notes
- Figures are police.uk street-level records for Metropolitan Police Service, September 2023 to August 2026. They are operational data, not official statistics, and can differ from ONS and Home Office publications.
- How the study is compiled: methodology.
Edition history
Figures quoted from an earlier edition stay traceable here:
| Edition | Vehicle crime offences (year to edition) | Change on the year before |
|---|---|---|
| August 2026 | 82,846 | -4.6% |
If you are reviewing how your car is protected
This section is practical guidance, not a finding from the data.
- Check what your cameras show at night. A camera only helps identify a suspect if a face or a number plate can be made out after dark, where the car is actually parked.
- Keep footage long enough to hand over. Damage or a theft noticed days later needs a recording that still exists. Work out how many days your recorder holds with the CCTV storage calculator.
- Know the rules before you record beyond your boundary. Our UK vehicle crime study summarises the ICO guidance on home CCTV.
Reuse and sources
- police.uk open data and its August 2026 archive.
- Population: Office for National Statistics, Census 2021 usual residents (Nomis).
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Free to reuse: journalists and community groups may quote these figures; please credit Clear Security with a link (any rel is fine). A spreadsheet of the tables is available on request from Clear Security.
About this study. Compiled by Clear Security LTD, 16 Wimborne Road, Luton LU1 1PD. No police force or public body was involved in, or has endorsed, this analysis.
Frequently asked questions
Is vehicle crime going up in London?
Not clearly. Recorded vehicle crime in London went from 86,807 in the year to August 2025 to 82,846 in the year to August 2026 (-4.6%), which is within its ordinary variation or may reflect recording changes.
How many vehicle crime offences were recorded in London?
Metropolitan Police Service recorded 82,846 vehicle crime offences in the year to August 2026, according to police.uk data.
How many vehicle crime offences in London end with no suspect identified?
89.7% of vehicle crime offences recorded in London in the year to August 2025 had "no suspect identified" as their latest outcome, against 83.1% across England and Wales.
- vehicle
- crime
- statistics
- london
Written by
Clear Security Editorial Team
Buying guides researched against the equipment we stock, with every specification checked back to the manufacturer's datasheet and UK guidance reviewed before publication.