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 404 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 | 404 | £1,715/mo | £43,538 |
| 2 | Elmbridge | 512 | £1,880/mo | £42,607 |
| 3 | Three Rivers | 521 | £1,908/mo | £39,615 |
| 4 | Tandridge | 552 | £1,788/mo | £33,316 |
| 5 | Mole Valley | 559 | £1,789/mo | £35,341 |
| 6 | Windsor and Maidenhead | 582 | £1,870/mo | £37,653 |
| 7 | Reigate and Banstead | 603 | £1,790/mo | £40,014 |
| 8 | Epping Forest | 641 | £1,853/mo | £38,171 |
| 9 | St Albans | 642 | £1,902/mo | £45,543 |
| 10 | Epsom and Ewell | 665 | £1,831/mo | £43,006 |
| 11 | Chelmsford | 692 | £1,699/mo | £35,791 |
| 12 | Broxbourne | 702 | £1,745/mo | £37,283 |
| 13 | Runnymede | 708 | £1,724/mo | £42,203 |
| 14 | Guildford | 721 | £1,815/mo | £39,985 |
| 15 | Hertsmere | 755 | £1,873/mo | £36,159 |
| 16 | Spelthorne | 760 | £1,841/mo | £37,918 |
| 17 | Welwyn Hatfield | 792 | £1,678/mo | £37,805 |
| 18 | Luton | 829 | £1,546/mo | £28,741 |
| 19 | Thurrock | 845 | £1,551/mo | £36,407 |
| 20 | Basildon | 853 | £1,602/mo | £34,133 |
| 21 | Slough | 863 | £1,791/mo | £35,521 |
| 22 | Watford | 871 | £1,903/mo | £37,172 |
| 23 | Stevenage | 906 | £1,655/mo | £35,747 |
| 24 | Harlow | 917 | £1,654/mo | £30,654 |
| 25 | Reading | 957 | £1,779/mo | £35,454 |
| 26 | Crawley | 1,115 | £1,705/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
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.
Surrey commuter authority covering Esher, Cobham, and Weybridge. Affluent and quiet.
See the full crime breakdown on the Elmbridge area profile.
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.
Surrey authority covering Oxted and Caterham. Mostly rural with a small commuter spine.
See the full crime breakdown on the Tandridge area profile.
Surrey authority covering Dorking and Leatherhead. Bordered by the Surrey Hills.
See the full crime breakdown on the Mole Valley area profile.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Crime rates are based on recorded crimes per 10,000 residents from the Home Office (England and Wales, year ending December 2025) or the Scottish Government (Scotland, 2024-25). 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.