What is the safest place to live near London?

Of the commuter-belt authorities with published crime data, Wokingham has the lowest recorded crime rate at 388 crimes per 10,000 people.

Is the commuter belt safer than London?

Yes, materially. The affluent Surrey and Hertfordshire authorities have crime rates well below the inner London average. London boroughs record higher per-resident rates partly because the daytime population is much larger than the resident base, which inflates resident-denominator rates.

Which Surrey or Hertfordshire area has the lowest crime?

Wokingham (Berkshire) and Elmbridge, Three Rivers, Tandridge, and Mole Valley (Surrey/Hertfordshire) dominate the top of this list. Wokingham records 388 crimes per 10,000 people.

Why aren't Kent commuter areas listed?

Kent's authorities are excluded from the Home Office's reliable CSP-level recorded-crime data because over 15% of Kent's recorded crimes aren't attributed to specific areas. That makes per-authority comparisons unreliable for Kent.

What's the safest commuter area with a fast London train?

Wokingham, Three Rivers, Elmbridge, and Welwyn Hatfield all combine low recorded crime with sub-45-minute train journeys into central London.

Safest Places to Live Near London 2026

The commuter belt around Greater London has noticeably lower recorded crime than inner London boroughs. The affluent Surrey and Hertfordshire authorities dominate the top of this list: Wokingham, Elmbridge, Three Rivers, Tandridge, and Mole Valley all record crime rates well below 600 per 10,000 people. Kent's authorities are excluded from the Home Office's CSP-level dataset due to recording-quality issues, so they aren't ranked here.

We've ranked 26 commuter-belt local authorities by recorded crime rate per 10,000 residents. The safest area is Wokingham at 388 per 10,000.

The ranking: 26 commuter-belt areas by crime rate

Sorted lowest crime first. Recorded crime rate is the number of crimes per 10,000 people from official police-recorded data.

#	Area	Crime / 10k	Monthly cost	Avg salary
1	Wokingham	388	£1,714/mo	£43,538
2	Elmbridge	513	£1,928/mo	£42,607
3	Three Rivers	522	£1,927/mo	£39,615
4	Tandridge	541	£1,825/mo	£33,316
5	Mole Valley	543	£1,801/mo	£35,341
6	Windsor and Maidenhead	568	£1,872/mo	£37,653
7	Reigate and Banstead	597	£1,806/mo	£40,014
8	Epping Forest	629	£1,873/mo	£38,171
9	St Albans	643	£1,923/mo	£45,543
10	Epsom and Ewell	670	£1,844/mo	£43,006
11	Chelmsford	698	£1,704/mo	£35,791
12	Runnymede	710	£1,744/mo	£42,203
13	Guildford	717	£1,848/mo	£39,985
14	Hertsmere	718	£1,909/mo	£36,159
15	Broxbourne	719	£1,777/mo	£37,283
16	Spelthorne	753	£1,894/mo	£37,918
17	Welwyn Hatfield	784	£1,717/mo	£37,805
18	Luton	831	£1,561/mo	£28,741
19	Basildon	849	£1,629/mo	£34,133
20	Thurrock	853	£1,583/mo	£36,407
21	Watford	863	£1,920/mo	£37,172
22	Slough	883	£1,797/mo	£35,521
23	Harlow	921	£1,667/mo	£30,654
24	Stevenage	935	£1,679/mo	£35,747
25	Reading	975	£1,783/mo	£35,454
26	Crawley	1,088	£1,722/mo	£34,225

26 areas with published crime data covered. Areas without reliable crime data are excluded.

Top 10 safest commuter-belt areas, in detail

Wokingham

388 per 10,000

Berkshire authority south of Reading. One of the wealthiest in the UK by household income, with very low recorded crime.

See the full crime breakdown on the Wokingham area profile.

Elmbridge

513 per 10,000

Surrey commuter authority covering Esher, Cobham, and Weybridge. Affluent and quiet.

See the full crime breakdown on the Elmbridge area profile.

Three Rivers

522 per 10,000

Hertfordshire authority covering Rickmansworth and Chorleywood. Metropolitan Line into central London in around 40 minutes.

See the full crime breakdown on the Three Rivers area profile.

Tandridge

541 per 10,000

Surrey authority covering Oxted and Caterham. Mostly rural with a small commuter spine.

See the full crime breakdown on the Tandridge area profile.

Mole Valley

543 per 10,000

Surrey authority covering Dorking and Leatherhead. Bordered by the Surrey Hills.

See the full crime breakdown on the Mole Valley area profile.

Windsor and Maidenhead

568 per 10,000

Royal Borough straddling the Thames west of London. Mix of affluent commuter towns and rural Berkshire.

See the full crime breakdown on the Windsor and Maidenhead area profile.

Reigate and Banstead

597 per 10,000

Surrey authority covering Reigate, Redhill, and Banstead. Direct trains to Victoria and London Bridge.

See the full crime breakdown on the Reigate and Banstead area profile.

Epping Forest

629 per 10,000

A commuter-belt authority with a low recorded crime rate. Typically a smaller-population area or a suburban/rural district.

See the full crime breakdown on the Epping Forest area profile.

St Albans

643 per 10,000

A commuter-belt authority with a low recorded crime rate. Typically a smaller-population area or a suburban/rural district.

See the full crime breakdown on the St Albans area profile.

Epsom and Ewell

670 per 10,000

Surrey commuter authority south of London. Strong rail links into Waterloo and Victoria.

See the full crime breakdown on the Epsom and Ewell area profile.

Regional context

The commuter belt's relatively low recorded crime reflects two things: many of these authorities are affluent suburban or semi-rural areas, and the resident population isn't being measured against a large daytime workforce or tourist crowd in the way inner London boroughs are. Kent's authorities are excluded from the Home Office's reliable CSP-level data, which is why they don't appear on this list.

A note on the data

How the crime figures were built

Crime rates are based on recorded crimes per 10,000 residents from the Home Office (England and Wales, year ending March 2026) or the Scottish Government (Scotland, 2025-26). Recording practices vary between police forces and recorded crime doesn't capture unreported crime. These figures are a directional indicator of police activity and reported incidents rather than a complete picture of crime in an area. Explore our UK crime map for a visual view.