Why is the data a few months old?

Police forces publish crime data about two to three months in arrears, and it refreshes once a month, so the most recent full month is always a little behind. We show the latest month that has data and label it clearly.

Does a higher number mean an area is dangerous?

Not on its own. Counts reflect where crimes were recorded, and busier areas — town centres, transport hubs, shopping streets — naturally show more. Compare a few nearby postcodes rather than reading one number in isolation.

How accurate are the crime locations?

They're approximate by design. To protect people's privacy, each crime is mapped to a nearby anchor point rather than a specific address, so the pins show the general area, not an exact house.

What crime categories are included?

The police publish categories such as anti-social behaviour, burglary, robbery, vehicle crime, violence and sexual offences, criminal damage and arson, drugs, shoplifting and others. The checker totals whatever was recorded near your postcode that month.

How often is it updated?

data.police.uk updates once a month, adding the newest month of recorded crime as forces publish it.

Can I see whether anyone was charged?

This checker focuses on recorded crimes near a postcode. data.police.uk also publishes outcomes (what happened to a case), which you can explore in more detail directly on their site.

Why are Scottish postcodes not covered?

Police Scotland uses a separate system and doesn't publish to data.police.uk, so Scottish postcodes return no results. Only British Transport Police data touches Scotland, which is why any figures there would look far lower than reality.

Yes. It's free and there's no sign-up.

Check crime near a postcode

See recent street-level crime around an area you're considering — totals by category, straight from the police, for the latest month available.

Enter a postcode to see recent street-level crime in that area.

Source: data.police.uk — street-level crime for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Last updated: August 2026

How the crime checker works

Enter a postcode and the checker pulls the most recent street-level crimes recorded around that point, then totals them by category — things like anti-social behaviour, burglary, vehicle crime and violence.

The data comes straight from data.police.uk, the Home Office open-data service that publishes what police forces record. It covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Police Scotland doesn't publish to it, so Scottish postcodes come back empty.

Forces publish about two to three months in arrears and the data refreshes once a month, so the latest full month is always slightly behind. We label the month you're looking at.

How to check crime near a postcode

Enter the postcode
Type the postcode of the area you want to check and press check.
Read the category totals
See recorded crimes grouped by type — anti-social behaviour, burglary, vehicle crime, violence and more.
Check the month shown
The data runs a couple of months behind, so note the month it covers.
Compare nearby postcodes
Run a few surrounding postcodes to see the pattern, rather than judging one number alone.

How to read the results

Counts show where crimes were recorded, not how likely you are to be affected. Town centres, high streets, stations and shopping areas record more simply because more happens there — a busy postcode isn't the same as a dangerous one.

Locations are approximate. To protect privacy, the police snap each crime to a nearby map point rather than the exact address, so treat the results as roughly-here, not exactly-there.

The useful move is comparison. Look at a few nearby postcodes, and the same postcode across a couple of months, rather than reading one number on its own.

A quick example

Comparing two areas? Run each postcode in turn and look at the mix, not just the total.

One might show mostly anti-social behaviour clustered around a high street; another, fewer incidents but more vehicle crime on residential roads. That tells you far more than a single headline number — and it's the kind of thing worth raising with the estate agent or current owner before you offer.

What to check next

Crime is one signal among several. Round out the picture before you decide on an area.

Check schools near the postcodeNearest schools with distances and live Ofsted reports.Check planning applicationsWhat's been proposed nearby that could change the area.Get your free moving checklistEvery task timed to your move date, once the area's decided.

Common questions

Where does the crime data come from?: Directly from data.police.uk, the Home Office's open-data service. It covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Police Scotland doesn't publish to it, so Scottish postcodes aren't covered.
Why is the data a few months old?: Police forces publish crime data about two to three months in arrears, and it refreshes once a month, so the most recent full month is always a little behind. We show the latest month that has data and label it clearly.
Does a higher number mean an area is dangerous?: Not on its own. Counts reflect where crimes were recorded, and busier areas — town centres, transport hubs, shopping streets — naturally show more. Compare a few nearby postcodes rather than reading one number in isolation.
How accurate are the crime locations?: They're approximate by design. To protect people's privacy, each crime is mapped to a nearby anchor point rather than a specific address, so the pins show the general area, not an exact house.
What crime categories are included?: The police publish categories such as anti-social behaviour, burglary, robbery, vehicle crime, violence and sexual offences, criminal damage and arson, drugs, shoplifting and others. The checker totals whatever was recorded near your postcode that month.
How often is it updated?: data.police.uk updates once a month, adding the newest month of recorded crime as forces publish it.
Can I see whether anyone was charged?: This checker focuses on recorded crimes near a postcode. data.police.uk also publishes outcomes (what happened to a case), which you can explore in more detail directly on their site.
Why are Scottish postcodes not covered?: Police Scotland uses a separate system and doesn't publish to data.police.uk, so Scottish postcodes return no results. Only British Transport Police data touches Scotland, which is why any figures there would look far lower than reality.
Is it free?: Yes. It's free and there's no sign-up.

Where this data comes from

Crime by area

Jump straight to recent crime for a town or city.