{"id":473672,"date":"2026-04-03T16:30:06","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T15:30:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/?p=473672"},"modified":"2026-04-04T08:47:44","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T07:47:44","slug":"southwark-records-the-highest-number-of-offences-in-february","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/area\/southwark\/southwark-records-the-highest-number-of-offences-in-february\/","title":{"rendered":"Southwark records the highest number of offences in South East London in February"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Figures from the Metropolitan Police in February this year show Southwark was the South East London borough with the highest number of recorded offences of any kind, a fact that has repeated since at least 2011<em>, writes Pablo Munoz&#8230;<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>South East London, which includes Bromley, Bexley, Greenwich, Lewisham and Southwark, saw an fall of nearly one per cent in reported crime in February when compared to the previous month, with a total of 10,512 offences logged, 105 fewer than in January.<\/p><script type=\"text\/plain\" data-tcf=\"waiting-for-consent\" data-id=\"69959\" data-bid=\"1\" data-placement=\"448384\" data-no-track=\"impressions\">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<\/script>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-southwark-news wp-block-embed-southwark-news\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"uUeLR1BmT2AEdVG9N0JHKwa64ZXqCfch3ltSzWMYFgDsjoQPn\"><blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"lKoAu4MKdq\"><a href=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/news\/news-plus\/knife-crime-in-southwark-what-do-the-figures-show-and-what-do-they-hide\/\">Knife crime in Southwark: What do the figures show and what do they hide?<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Knife crime in Southwark: What do the figures show and what do they hide?&#8221; &#8212; Southwark News\" src=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/news\/news-plus\/knife-crime-in-southwark-what-do-the-figures-show-and-what-do-they-hide\/embed\/#?secret=JHXRdKSL7T#?secret=lKoAu4MKdq\" data-secret=\"lKoAu4MKdq\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>February\u2019s overall crime data in Southwark shows a slight downward trend from the previous months of January and December, but historical data shows that the colder months tend to show a lower number of crimes reported in the borough.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"980\" height=\"560\" src=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Southwark-Crime-DATA-980x560.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-473679\" srcset=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Southwark-Crime-DATA-980x560.png 980w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Southwark-Crime-DATA-490x280.png 490w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Southwark-Crime-DATA-768x439.png 768w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Southwark-Crime-DATA-1536x877.png 1536w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Southwark-Crime-DATA-256x146.png 256w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Southwark-Crime-DATA-1320x754.png 1320w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Southwark-Crime-DATA-750x428.png 750w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Southwark-Crime-DATA-1140x651.png 1140w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Southwark-Crime-DATA.png 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 980px) 100vw, 980px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Data Source: Metropolitan Police Service (MPS). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.<\/p><script type=\"text\/plain\" data-tcf=\"waiting-for-consent\" data-id=\"68153\" data-bid=\"1\" data-placement=\"448385\" data-no-track=\"impressions\">PGRpdiBpZD0ic291dGgtNjMwOTEwNjQ3IiBjbGFzcz0ic291dGgtY29udGVudCBzb3V0aC1lbnRpdHktcGxhY2VtZW50IiBzdHlsZT0ibWFyZ2luLWxlZnQ6IGF1dG87bWFyZ2luLXJpZ2h0OiBhdXRvO3RleHQtYWxpZ246IGNlbnRlcjsiPjwhLS0gIC8xNTQ3MjUwNzAsMjI2OTQxOTY5Njkvc291dGh3YXJrbmV3cy9zb3V0aHdhcmtuZXdzIC0tPg0KPGRpdiBpZD0iZGl2LWdwdC1hZC0yeDEiPg0KPHNjcmlwdD4NCmdvb2dsZXRhZy5jbWQucHVzaChmdW5jdGlvbigpIHsgZ29vZ2xldGFnLmRpc3BsYXkoJ2Rpdi1ncHQtYWQtMngxJyk7IH0pOw0KPC9zY3JpcHQ+DQo8L2Rpdj4gICAgICAgICAgPC9kaXY+<\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>The most common offences in Southwark are theft (1,241) and violence against the person (703), with 176 robberies, 173 vehicle offences, 166 burglaries, 148 arsons and criminal damage. Altogether, theft and violence accounted for more than half of offences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The second highest number of offences occurred in the borough of Lewisham, with 2,292 offences recorded, with violence against the person (776) and theft (633) being the most common.<\/p><script type=\"text\/plain\" data-tcf=\"waiting-for-consent\" data-id=\"71156\" data-bid=\"1\" data-placement=\"448386\" data-no-track=\"impressions\">PGRpdiBpZD0ic291dGgtMTg3NzkyOTEzMSIgY2xhc3M9InNvdXRoLWluLWFydGljbGUtbXB1OSBzb3V0aC1lbnRpdHktcGxhY2VtZW50Ij48IS0tICAvMTU0NzI1MDcwLDIyNjk0MTk2OTY5L3NvdXRod2Fya25ld3Mvc291dGh3YXJrbmV3cyAtLT4NCjxkaXYgaWQ9ImRpdi1ncHQtYWQtbXB1OSI+DQo8c2NyaXB0Pg0KZ29vZ2xldGFnLmNtZC5wdXNoKGZ1bmN0aW9uKCkgeyBnb29nbGV0YWcuZGlzcGxheSgnZGl2LWdwdC1hZC1tcHU5Jyk7IH0pOw0KPC9zY3JpcHQ+DQo8L2Rpdj4gICAgIDwvZGl2Pg==<\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>Greenwich comes third (2,174), which saw a decrease in crime by one per cent compared to January, followed by Bromley (1,829), London\u2019s largest borough by area. Bexley recorded the lowest number of offences (1,170).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is a correlation between population density and crime volume, with Southwark and Lewisham being the most densely populated boroughs, which also report the highest offence totals.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"721\" height=\"560\" src=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Southwark-Population-Density-721x560.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-473678\" srcset=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Southwark-Population-Density-721x560.png 721w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Southwark-Population-Density-360x280.png 360w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Southwark-Population-Density-768x597.png 768w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Southwark-Population-Density-188x146.png 188w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Southwark-Population-Density-750x583.png 750w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Southwark-Population-Density-1140x886.png 1140w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Southwark-Population-Density.png 1273w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 721px) 100vw, 721px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Infographic: Pablo Munoz. Data Source: ONS Mid-2024 Population Estimates &amp; London Datastore Area Data. Contains OS data \u00a9 Crown copyright and database right 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bromley, despite holding the largest population out of the five boroughs (~335,000), had a comparatively low median crime per capita in 2025 of 5.65 offences per 1,000 people, compared to Southwark\u2019s whopping 10.45 offences per 1,000 people. Southwark\u2019s crime per capita was also higher than Lewisham\u2019s 8.05 and Greenwich\u2019s 7.5.<\/p><script type=\"text\/plain\" data-tcf=\"waiting-for-consent\" data-id=\"71157\" data-bid=\"1\" data-placement=\"448387\" data-no-track=\"impressions\">PGRpdiBpZD0ic291dGgtMjY3Mjk3NTYyMSIgY2xhc3M9InNvdXRoLWluLWFydGljbGUtbXB1LTEwIHNvdXRoLWVudGl0eS1wbGFjZW1lbnQiPjwhLS0gIC8xNTQ3MjUwNzAsMjI2OTQxOTY5Njkvc291dGh3YXJrbmV3cy9zb3V0aHdhcmtuZXdzIC0tPg0KPGRpdiBpZD0iZGl2LWdwdC1hZC1tcHUxMCI+DQo8c2NyaXB0Pg0KZ29vZ2xldGFnLmNtZC5wdXNoKGZ1bmN0aW9uKCkgeyBnb29nbGV0YWcuZGlzcGxheSgnZGl2LWdwdC1hZC1tcHUxMCcpOyB9KTsNCjwvc2NyaXB0Pg0KPC9kaXY+ICAgICA8L2Rpdj4=<\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>Southwark contains major high-footfall areas, such as London Bridge, Borough Market, South Bank, and Elephant &amp; Castle, which could affect the high numbers, but wealth inequality may also be a factor that impacts the high number of offences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Poverty rates remain highest in Lewisham (29 per cent) and Greenwich (26 per cent), with Southwark falling third (21 per cent), as per Trust for London Borough Profiles data for 2025\/2026, but Southwark has a significantly higher number of social housing (around 38 per cent) than Lewisham (~26 per cent) and Greenwich (~28 per cent).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The GLA Housing in London Report 2024\/2025 found that in Southwark and Lewisham, residents spend over 41 per cent of their median pay on rent, far exceeding the &#8220;affordable&#8221; benchmark of 30 per cent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Homelessness also remains at critical levels in the borough, with 1 in 36 people being homeless in Southwark as shown by data from Shelter, an organisation providing support to people experiencing homelessness, in its 2025 report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-southwark-news wp-block-embed-southwark-news\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"1wHd6qlanXSZDKMRJv4EVU8j90yNPWtf7BYgsiLA2uhop5zx\"><blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"ywpyyE6gIC\"><a href=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/area\/bermondsey\/homes-built-for-rough-sleepers-in-bermondsey-remain-empty-two-months-after-grand-opening\/\">Homes built for rough sleepers in Bermondsey remain empty two months after grand opening<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Homes built for rough sleepers in Bermondsey remain empty two months after grand opening&#8221; &#8212; Southwark News\" src=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/area\/bermondsey\/homes-built-for-rough-sleepers-in-bermondsey-remain-empty-two-months-after-grand-opening\/embed\/#?secret=5juL9It6nT#?secret=ywpyyE6gIC\" data-secret=\"ywpyyE6gIC\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Figures from the Metropolitan Police in February this year show Southwark was the South East London borough with the highest number of recorded offences of any kind, a fact that has repeated since at least 2011, writes Pablo Munoz&#8230; South East London, which includes Bromley, Bexley, Greenwich, Lewisham and Southwark, saw an fall of nearly [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18930,"featured_media":463348,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"format":"standard","override":[{"template":"1","parallax":"1","fullscreen":"1","layout":"right-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"top","share_float_style":"share-monocrhome","show_share_counter":"1","show_view_counter":"1","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"Y\/m\/d","show_post_category":"1","show_post_reading_time":"0","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","post_calculate_word_method":"str_word_count","show_zoom_button":"0","zoom_button_out_step":"2","zoom_button_in_step":"3","show_post_tag":"1","show_prev_next_post":"1","show_popup_post":"1","show_comment_section":"1","number_popup_post":"1","show_author_box":"1","show_inline_post_related":"1"}],"image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"crop-500","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-500"}],"trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","disable_ad":"0","subtitle":"The most common offences in Southwark are theft "},"jnews_primary_category":{"id":"8341"},"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":{"view_counter_number":"0","share_counter_number":"0","like_counter_number":"0","dislike_counter_number":"0"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[13541,13602,8341],"tags":[3417],"class_list":["post-473672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime","category-news","category-southwark","tag-crime"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/473672","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18930"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=473672"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/473672\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":476230,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/473672\/revisions\/476230"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/463348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=473672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=473672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=473672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}