In this guide
London’s crime figures are public, updated monthly and searchable by street, as is the advice the US and Canadian governments give their own citizens about visiting.
💡 The Short Version: The US State Department rates the UK Level 2 of 4: Exercise Increased Caution, over terrorism, not street crime (reissued 8 September 2026). Canada’s government sets the same second-of-four tier and separately notes that cellphone theft is common in certain tourist areas of London (updated 26 May 2026). The Metropolitan Police’s own figures show phone theft down 15.6% and robbery down 12.8% in 2026 — but theft from the person still concentrates hard around the West End: 963 thefts within a mile of Oxford Circus and 871 near Leicester Square in July 2026 alone, against 148 around Camden Town. Only ever book a minicab in advance; an unbooked one is illegal, not just unwise. For an emergency call 999 or 112; otherwise it’s 101 for police, NHS 111 for health, and a text to 61016 for British Transport Police on the rail and Tube network.
The answer, in numbers
Nationally, the Crime Survey for England and Wales — which asks people about their own experience rather than counting police reports — estimated 9.6 million offences in the year to March 2026, no statistically significant change on the year before, according to the Office for National Statistics, published 23 July 2026. That covers England and Wales as a whole.
The Metropolitan Police’s recorded-crime figures, which count police reports, show the offences that affect visitors falling. Announcing the results of an operation against phone-snatching gangs on 10 September 2026, the Met said theft of personal items and mobile phones had fallen 15.6% in 2026, with robbery down 12.8%. Detective Superintendent Gareth Gilbert, who led the operation, said neighbourhood crime was down 14% over the past year, with 13,000 fewer phone thefts.
Foreign governments rate the UK on their own scales, for terrorism rather than street crime:
| Government | Rating | Date | Says |
|---|---|---|---|
| US State Department | Level 2 of 4: Exercise Increased Caution | Reissued 8 September 2026 | “Exercise increased caution in the United Kingdom due to terrorism.” |
| Government of Canada | 2nd of 4 levels: exercise a high degree of caution | Updated 26 May 2026 | “Exercise a high degree of caution in the United Kingdom due to the threat of terrorism.” |
Both use a four-level scale from routine precautions to avoiding all travel, and both put the UK on the second level. Both name terrorism, not theft, scams or violent crime, as the reason.
What actually happens to visitors
Visitors mostly meet theft, overwhelmingly of phones, concentrated where visitors are.
A Metropolitan Police operation announced on 10 September 2026 targeted thieves who snatch phones from e-bikes and mopeds. Run from Westminster over the five months to July 2026, it made 187 arrests and seized 157 vehicles. The hotspots the Met named were Lambeth, Southwark and the tourist and transport hubs of Waterloo and London Bridge, where e-bike-related crime fell 22% during the operation. The Met has also seized more than 2,500 illegal or modified e-bikes and e-scooters so far in 2026.
Metropolitan Police officers on a busy London street.
Police.uk’s street-level crime data, free to query by location and month, shows how concentrated the risk is. These are the thefts from the person recorded in July 2026 within a mile of three London points:
| Area | Thefts from the person, July 2026 (within a mile) |
|---|---|
| Oxford Circus | 963 |
| Leicester Square / West End | 871 |
| Camden Town | 148 |
Robbery, theft involving force or the threat of it, is far rarer: the same data recorded 139 robberies within a mile of Leicester Square in that month, against 871 thefts from the person, roughly one to six. Most of what happens to visitors is a phone or a bag disappearing from a hand or a pocket, not a confrontation.
Keep your phone in a pocket you can feel, not a bag’s outer pocket or a café tabletop, and hold on to it hardest around Oxford Street, Leicester Square and the South Bank.
Common scams aimed at visitors
Rogue minicabs. A driver who approaches you outside a club or station, or a bouncer who “gets you a cab,” isn’t offering a legitimate service. See Getting home at night, below, for how to book one properly.
Fake and unofficial ticket sellers. Buy from the venue’s own box office, its official website or an authorised resale site; a ticket from anyone else may not get you in. Report suspected ticket or event fraud to Report Fraud (formerly Action Fraud), run by the City of London Police.
Distraction scams — a street game, a spilled drink, a clipboard petition — work the same crowded streets as phone thieves. Keep bags zipped and in front of you, and don’t take your eyes off your belongings for a stranger’s request.
Card and phone scams. Our money in London guide covers card safety in full, including the “dynamic currency conversion” trap at a card machine or cash machine and the card-clash risk on Tube and bus readers. A request for a banking code by text, call or email is a scam whoever it claims to be from.
Getting home at night
Hail a licensed black cab, or book a minicab in advance.
Black taxis — the ones with the orange “TAXI” light — are the only vehicles that can be hailed on the street or picked up at a rank without a booking; London has more than 600 ranks. They can also be booked by phone or app, and every one takes cards.
Minicabs must be booked in advance — by phone, by app, or in person at a licensed operator’s office — never hailed and never accepted from someone who approaches you first. A genuine booking confirmation, sent by text, app, email or paper receipt, gives you at minimum the vehicle’s number plate, the driver’s first name, their private hire licence number and a photo of the driver. Every TfL-licensed minicab driver has been through a police background check, and the booking creates a record of the journey, the driver and the vehicle.
⚠️ An unbooked minicab is illegal, not just unwise. TfL says it is uninsured for passengers, and with no booking there is no record of your journey. That covers a driver touting for business, one who approaches you, and one a bouncer or doorman sends you to. If the car or driver that turns up doesn’t match your booking confirmation, don’t get in.
Night Tube and Night Overground trains run Fridays and Saturdays only, on the core central lines; on other nights, the last scheduled train is the way home. Every Tube, Elizabeth line and London Overground station is staffed from the first train to the last. DLR stations are unstaffed, but every DLR train carries a member of staff, and travel support and enforcement officers patrol the wider network at night. Night buses run right through the night, every night, and every bus carries CCTV.
To report an incident on a taxi or minicab journey specifically: dial 999 in an emergency, use TfL’s online safety incident report form, or call TfL’s taxi and private hire team on 0343 222 4000 (Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm; call charges may apply).
Who to call, and when
| Contact | When |
|---|---|
| 999 or 112 | A genuine emergency — a crime in progress, fire, or a threat to life. 112 is the pan-European equivalent to 999 and works the same way. |
| 101 | Police, non-emergency — a crime has happened but nobody is in immediate danger. |
| NHS 111 | Illness or injury that isn’t a 999 emergency, including when a GP would otherwise be closed. Call, or use 111 online. Our healthcare for visitors guide covers what treatment actually costs. |
| Text 61016, or call 0800 40 50 40 | British Transport Police, for anything non-emergency on a train, the Tube, the DLR or at a station. The text service runs around the clock and is discreet. |
| TfL online report / 0343 222 4000 | An incident on a bus, Tube, taxi or minicab journey specifically. |
| TfL Lost Property | Left something on a bus, Tube, DLR or Overground train. TfL’s Lost Property Office searches items handed in; an admin fee applies once an item is sent to them for processing and storage. |
| Your embassy or consulate | A lost passport, an arrest, or a death abroad. GOV.UK publishes the current list of foreign embassies and consular offices in the UK. |
Continue planning your London trip
- 💳 Money in London — card safety, cash machines, and the currency-conversion trap at the till
- 🚇 How to Use the London Underground — reading the map, the etiquette, and standing on the right
- 🚌 Getting Around London: The Transport Guide — every mode compared, fares and all
- 🌙 Late-Night Eating in London — where to eat after the kitchens elsewhere have shut
- 🛂 The UK ETA Guide — the £20 permit to sort before you fly, not after you land
- 📱 Travel SIM and eSIM Guide — mobile data sorted before you land
- 🏥 Healthcare in London for Visitors — NHS, A&E and what treatment actually costs
Crime figures, advisory levels and contact details change; check the source directly for anything urgent.
Common questions
Is London safe for tourists?
By the numbers the US and Canadian governments use for their own citizens, yes with normal caution: both rate the UK at the second of four levels on their travel-advice scales, a notch above routine precautions, and both say that rating is about terrorism, not street crime. The Metropolitan Police's own count shows the offences that hit visitors hardest falling — theft of phones and personal items down 15.6% and robbery down 12.8% in 2026 — though theft from the person is still heavily concentrated in a few well-known tourist areas.
What crime should visitors in London actually worry about?
Theft, not violence, and mostly phones. Police.uk's street-level data recorded 963 thefts from the person within a mile of Oxford Circus and 871 within a mile of Leicester Square in July 2026 alone, against 139 robberies in the same radius around Leicester Square — theft from a hand or pocket outnumbers robbery by roughly six to one there. Canada's government travel advice makes the same point directly: cellphone theft is common in certain tourist areas of London.
Is the London Underground safe at night?
Every Tube, Elizabeth line and London Overground station is staffed from the first train to the last, and TfL runs travel support and enforcement officers on the network at night. Night Tube and Night Overground services run Fridays and Saturdays only; on other nights, plan around the last scheduled train. DLR stations are unstaffed, but every DLR train carries a member of staff.
Are minicabs safe in London?
Only if you book one in advance, by phone, by app, or in person at a licensed operator's office. TfL is explicit that an unbooked minicab — one you hail, one whose driver approaches you, or one a bouncer sends you to — is illegal and uninsured for passengers, on top of the safety risk. A genuine booking confirmation gives you the vehicle's number plate, the driver's first name and their private hire licence number; if the car or driver that arrives doesn't match, don't get in.
What number do I call for the police in London if it's not an emergency?
101. That's the Metropolitan Police's own non-emergency number. Dial 999, or the pan-European 112, only for a genuine emergency — a crime in progress, or a threat to life.
Does the UK have a high terrorism risk for tourists?
Both the US State Department and the Government of Canada place the UK at the second of four levels on their travel-advisory scales — Exercise Increased Caution and Exercise a high degree of caution respectively — and both attribute that rating specifically to the threat of terrorism, not to street crime or scams. The US advisory was last reissued 8 September 2026; Canada's was last updated 26 May 2026.
How do I report something on the Tube or a train?
Text British Transport Police on 61016, free and discreet, for anything non-emergency happening on a train, the Tube, the DLR or at a station — it runs around the clock. You can also call BTP on 0800 40 50 40. For a genuine emergency, always call 999.
