The safest places to live in the UK, by which crime you mean
Of the 30 towns with the lowest total recorded crime in England and Wales, only 11 also sit among the 30 with the lowest burglary rate. The safest place to live is a different town depending on what you are afraid of.
That is the finding this page exists for. Total recorded crime is dominated by offences that cluster where the shops are: shoplifting runs a median 9% of a town's total and anti-social behaviour 15%, so ranking towns on the total partly ranks them on whether they have a high street. Burglary and violence are the categories that happen to residents where they live, and they produce almost entirely different lists.
So there are three tables below, each ranked on one named measure. There is no combined score, because deciding how many burglaries equal one assault is an opinion, and an opinion with a number on it is still an opinion.
Fewest violence and sexual offences, towns over 20,000 residents
| # | Town | Violence & sexual /1,000 | All offences /1,000 | Median sale | Residents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harpenden Hertfordshire | 9.7 | 36.3 | £795,000 | 30,965 |
| 2 | Sandhurst Bracknell Forest | 14.1 | 36.7 | £450,000 | 20,215 |
| 3 | Whitley Bay North Tyneside | 14.9 | 64.9 | £345,000 | 36,880 |
| 4 | Dronfield Derbyshire | 14.9 | 44.4 | £300,000 | 21,160 |
| 5 | West Bridgford Nottinghamshire | 15.5 | 63.0 | £375,000 | 36,490 |
| 6 | Great Bookham Surrey | 15.7 | 44.2 | £669,000 | 21,655 |
| 7 | Heswall Metropolitan Borough of Wirral | 15.8 | 34.2 | £320,000 | 29,075 |
| 8 | Sevenoaks Kent | 16.1 | 59.9 | £685,000 | 26,475 |
| 9 | Crowborough East Sussex | 16.7 | 42.3 | £425,000 | 21,990 |
| 10 | Rustington West Sussex | 16.9 | 58.4 | £399,995 | 33,885 |
| 11 | Wokingham Wokingham | 17.3 | 41.7 | £480,000 | 50,325 |
| 12 | Berkhamsted Hertfordshire | 17.3 | 59.2 | £700,000 | 21,240 |
| 13 | Christchurch Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council | 17.6 | 56.2 | £410,000 | 48,985 |
| 14 | Billericay Essex | 18.0 | 47.8 | £475,000 | 34,075 |
| 15 | Seaford East Sussex | 18.5 | 47.9 | £375,000 | 23,865 |
| 16 | Haywards Heath West Sussex | 18.5 | 55.5 | £420,600 | 40,185 |
| 17 | Ascot Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead | 19.1 | 43.5 | £600,000 | 23,995 |
| 18 | West Molesey Surrey | 19.3 | 50.8 | £715,000 | 47,150 |
| 19 | Reigate Surrey | 19.5 | 64.8 | £590,000 | 23,780 |
| 20 | Formby Sefton | 19.6 | 50.5 | £335,000 | 22,890 |
| 21 | Shoreham-by-Sea West Sussex | 19.8 | 69.5 | £415,000 | 23,660 |
| 22 | Lee-on-the-Solent Hampshire | 19.8 | 46.8 | £375,000 | 24,315 |
| 23 | East Grinstead West Sussex | 19.9 | 66.3 | £386,500 | 26,350 |
| 24 | South Benfleet Essex | 20.2 | 47.6 | £400,000 | 49,885 |
| 25 | Chippenham Wiltshire | 20.5 | 47.5 | £293,000 | 36,090 |
| 26 | Wickford Essex | 20.6 | 67.4 | £375,000 | 27,535 |
| 27 | Wilmslow Cheshire East | 20.7 | 49.8 | £453,200 | 25,725 |
| 28 | Penarth Vale of Glamorgan | 20.8 | 58.5 | £310,000 | 28,395 |
| 29 | Clevedon North Somerset | 21.2 | 57.8 | £350,000 | 21,085 |
| 30 | Ormskirk Lancashire | 21.3 | 53.9 | £280,000 | 27,715 |
The category most people mean by personal safety. It includes offences between people who know each other, which are reported at very different rates in different places, so read the differences between neighbouring rows as noise rather than ranking.
Fewest burglaries
| # | Town | Burglary /1,000 | All offences /1,000 | Median sale | Residents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sandhurst Bracknell Forest | 0.7 | 36.7 | £450,000 | 20,215 |
| 2 | Seaford East Sussex | 0.8 | 47.9 | £375,000 | 23,865 |
| 3 | Fleet Hampshire | 0.9 | 47.6 | £440,000 | 37,790 |
| 4 | Stowmarket Suffolk | 1.0 | 64.5 | £255,000 | 21,535 |
| 5 | Crowborough East Sussex | 1.0 | 42.3 | £425,000 | 21,990 |
| 6 | Thatcham West Berkshire | 1.1 | 66.3 | £350,000 | 25,550 |
| 7 | Sudbury Suffolk | 1.1 | 77.1 | £275,000 | 23,920 |
| 8 | Rustington West Sussex | 1.1 | 58.4 | £399,995 | 33,885 |
| 9 | Lancing West Sussex | 1.1 | 67.3 | £355,000 | 27,930 |
| 10 | Chippenham Wiltshire | 1.1 | 47.5 | £293,000 | 36,090 |
| 11 | Witney Oxfordshire | 1.2 | 60.9 | £345,000 | 30,165 |
| 12 | Waterlooville Hampshire | 1.2 | 75.4 | £321,000 | 34,775 |
| 13 | Falmouth Cornwall | 1.2 | 83.7 | £325,000 | 24,070 |
| 14 | Exmouth Devon | 1.2 | 65.7 | £308,000 | 35,500 |
| 15 | East Dereham Norfolk | 1.2 | 82.5 | £235,000 | 20,785 |
| 16 | Didcot Oxfordshire | 1.2 | 64.2 | £350,000 | 34,600 |
| 17 | Deal Kent | 1.2 | 61.3 | £291,667 | 28,985 |
| 18 | Broadstairs Kent | 1.2 | 70.7 | £345,000 | 25,775 |
| 19 | Neath Neath Port Talbot | 1.3 | 87.7 | £180,000 | 40,730 |
| 20 | Shoreham-by-Sea West Sussex | 1.4 | 69.5 | £415,000 | 23,660 |
| 21 | Lee-on-the-Solent Hampshire | 1.4 | 46.8 | £375,000 | 24,315 |
| 22 | Heswall Metropolitan Borough of Wirral | 1.4 | 34.2 | £320,000 | 29,075 |
| 23 | Formby Sefton | 1.4 | 50.5 | £335,000 | 22,890 |
| 24 | Braintree Essex | 1.4 | 77.0 | £302,500 | 43,190 |
| 25 | Prescot Knowsley | 1.5 | 105.3 | £210,000 | 39,225 |
| 26 | Melton Mowbray Leicestershire | 1.5 | 86.8 | £231,000 | 27,450 |
| 27 | Maldon Essex | 1.5 | 67.4 | £355,000 | 23,380 |
| 28 | Maghull Sefton | 1.5 | 48.0 | £255,000 | 20,370 |
| 29 | Felixstowe Suffolk | 1.5 | 57.3 | £280,000 | 24,220 |
| 30 | Fareham Hampshire | 1.5 | 74.8 | £315,000 | 42,625 |
The category most people mean by feeling safe at home, and the one that moves the list most. Burglary is comparatively well reported, because an insurance claim usually needs a crime number, which makes it one of the steadier categories here.
Lowest total recorded crime
| # | Town | All offences /1,000 | All offences /1,000 | Median sale | Residents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heswall Metropolitan Borough of Wirral | 34.2 | 34.2 | £320,000 | 29,075 |
| 2 | Harpenden Hertfordshire | 36.3 | 36.3 | £795,000 | 30,965 |
| 3 | Sandhurst Bracknell Forest | 36.7 | 36.7 | £450,000 | 20,215 |
| 4 | Wokingham Wokingham | 41.7 | 41.7 | £480,000 | 50,325 |
| 5 | Crowborough East Sussex | 42.3 | 42.3 | £425,000 | 21,990 |
| 6 | Ascot Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead | 43.5 | 43.5 | £600,000 | 23,995 |
| 7 | Great Bookham Surrey | 44.2 | 44.2 | £669,000 | 21,655 |
| 8 | Dronfield Derbyshire | 44.4 | 44.4 | £300,000 | 21,160 |
| 9 | Lee-on-the-Solent Hampshire | 46.8 | 46.8 | £375,000 | 24,315 |
| 10 | Chippenham Wiltshire | 47.5 | 47.5 | £293,000 | 36,090 |
| 11 | South Benfleet Essex | 47.6 | 47.6 | £400,000 | 49,885 |
| 12 | Fleet Hampshire | 47.6 | 47.6 | £440,000 | 37,790 |
| 13 | Billericay Essex | 47.8 | 47.8 | £475,000 | 34,075 |
| 14 | Seaford East Sussex | 47.9 | 47.9 | £375,000 | 23,865 |
| 15 | Maghull Sefton | 48.0 | 48.0 | £255,000 | 20,370 |
| 16 | Wilmslow Cheshire East | 49.8 | 49.8 | £453,200 | 25,725 |
| 17 | Formby Sefton | 50.5 | 50.5 | £335,000 | 22,890 |
| 18 | West Molesey Surrey | 50.8 | 50.8 | £715,000 | 47,150 |
| 19 | Ormskirk Lancashire | 53.9 | 53.9 | £280,000 | 27,715 |
| 20 | Oadby Leicestershire | 54.2 | 54.2 | £327,000 | 24,030 |
| 21 | Kingswinford Dudley | 54.5 | 54.5 | £255,000 | 51,910 |
| 22 | Bebington Metropolitan Borough of Wirral | 54.5 | 54.5 | £240,000 | 57,600 |
| 23 | Haywards Heath West Sussex | 55.5 | 55.5 | £420,600 | 40,185 |
| 24 | Rayleigh Essex | 55.9 | 55.9 | £425,000 | 32,380 |
| 25 | Christchurch Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council | 56.2 | 56.2 | £410,000 | 48,985 |
| 26 | Felixstowe Suffolk | 57.3 | 57.3 | £280,000 | 24,220 |
| 27 | Hedge End Hampshire | 57.4 | 57.4 | £350,000 | 23,190 |
| 28 | Clevedon North Somerset | 57.8 | 57.8 | £350,000 | 21,085 |
| 29 | Rustington West Sussex | 58.4 | 58.4 | £399,995 | 33,885 |
| 30 | Penarth Vale of Glamorgan | 58.5 | 58.5 | £310,000 | 28,395 |
Included for comparison with the two lists above rather than as the answer. The crime rates page ranks every town on this measure, in both directions, with the full category breakdown.
Source: police-recorded street-level crime, August 2025 to July 2026, located to ONS built-up areas by LSOA and divided by 2021 census populations on the same boundary. Median sale prices are HM Land Registry registered sales, July 2025 to June 2026, shown as context and never as part of any ranking; a dash means the town had fewer than 20 sales. Recorded crime is not crime experienced. Greater Manchester and Gloucestershire constabularies publish nothing to the national service, so their towns are absent rather than approximated. To weigh cost against crime instead, the best-places page cuts on both.