The 'most dangerous' places to live in Lambeth according to police data

May 2024 ยท 10 minute read

Lambeth is home to the Southbank Centre, the London Eye, galleries, theatres and even London's largest train station, Waterloo.

Its name, which dates back as early as 1062, originated from "landing place for lambs " and the borough has a rich cultural history - in addition to being the historical home of Samuel Pepys, it is the site of Damien Hirst's new gallery.

However, it unfortunately also has one of the highest crime rates among London boroughs and was the scene of the most murders in London, 154, from 2000 to 2012.

In the Southbank, much of the crime can be attributed to a high number of tourists attracting thieves, while in Brixton certain areas have long-standing issues with violence and gun crime.

Based on police data of reported crimes gathered in February 2019, here are Lambeth's neighbourhoods, ranked in ascending order of crime.

Streatham Wells

Based on police data from February, Streatham Wells is by far the safest place in Lambeth to live.

The area saw an average of just three crimes reported per 1,000 residents, way below the London average.

This may encourage potential house buyers, who could be put off by the area's relatively poor transport links, to give it some serious thought as prices are likely to be cheaper.

Common crimes reported in February were miscellaneous theft, assault without injury and harassment.

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Knights Hill

Knights Hill is not far from Upper Norwood in Croydon , far away from the River Thames, and is a mainly residential area.

This is reflected in its level of crime, which averages out at only four reported incidents per 1,000 residents.

This half the rate of reported crime in London and Lambeth as a whole, which both average out at eight.

The most commonly reported incidents in February was harassment, miscellaneous theft and residential burglaries.

Thornton

Between Streatham and Clapham, Thornton has another low rate of crime, with only four incidents per 1,000 heads.

The most common offences were residential burglaries, violence and assault without injury.

In December last year, Thornton police tweeted : "SNT officers were involved in a hit day with operation trident targeting gang members from the Clapham Park estate involved in drug supply."

They also advised residents in February to leave lights on when they go out to prevent burglaries.

Streatham South

The southern end of Streatham also saw relatively few crimes reported in February, with an average of just four incidents per 1,000 people.

The most offence by far was miscellaneous theft, with 20 incidents reported.

Other common crimes, including harassment and violence, were far rarer, with only seven incidents reported to police.

Nine of the thefts reported involving a criminal making off without payment, while one incident involved someone being robbed by a guest.

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Gipsy Hill

Gipsy Hill, which takes its name from the community it used to be best known for, is another more suburban part of the borough.

In February, it averaged out to just five reported incidents per 1,000 residents, well below the average.

However, on Halloween last year, it was the scene of a dramatic double shooting , which saw two men, believed to have been present for the filming of a rap video, taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Its most common reported offence was violence, along with harassment and thefts from vehicles.

Streatham Hill

Due to its close proximity to Balham and Brixton, Streatham is often dubbed an "up and coming area" with a growing number of "trendy" wine bars and cafes.

Gentrifiers are likely to be encouraged by the area's low crime level, which was only 6 reported incidents per 1,000 in February.

The most common crimes reported were also largely minor: harassment, assault without injury and vandalism.

The UK's first supermarket was opened in Streatham in 1951.

Thurlow Park

Thurlow Park is another mainly residential area that also contains areas of Tulse Hill and West Norwood .

Accordingly, crime is not a major problem as, like Streatham Hill, the area only averaged around six incidents per 1,000 people.

While harassment remains a common problem, other offences often reported in the area include residential burglary and violence.

So while, offences are equally as rare, they seem more serious in nature than those over in Streatham.

Stockwell

Lambeth is home to a large Portuguese population compared to the resident of London and much of this community gathers in the Stockwell neighbourhood.

The area contains a mix of social and privately owned housing and boasts a good mix of bars, nightclubs and restaurants.

Crime is below average and moderate, with only six incidents reported per 1,000 people.

The most common offences included violence, drug offences and miscellaneous theft, in that order.

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Clapham Common

Clapham Common is a very popular area for young people who don't fit in with the South-East crowd in Camberwell and Peckham due to its nightlife.

This means house prices in the area can be extortionate, although it does offer the advantage of a large green space, also called Clapham Common.

You might be surprised to hear that the overall crime rate is fairly low, given the fatal stabbing near Clapham Common Tube last month .

The most common reported crimes were harassment, residential burglary and theft from a vehicle.

Tulse Hill

Another spot next to Brixton and West Dulwich, Tulse Hill is named for 15th century London Mayor Sir Henry Tulse, who made his fortune from the slave trade.

Apart from this inauspicious history, it has the advantage of bordering Brockwell Park, a popular venue for summer events.

Its crime rate slides in at just below the Lambeth and London average, with seven incidents reported per 1,000 residents in February.

The most common were assault without injury, drug offences and residential burglaries.

Herne Hill

Great transport links into Central London and proximity to Brixton and Dulwich , one of the fanciest bits of South London, makes Herne Hill very popular with young professionals.

Unsurprisingly, they seem to be getting their Macbooks nicked at an alarming rate, with miscellaneous theft by far the most common reported crime.

Theft alone appears to have bumped the rate of crime up to seven per thousand residents.

Assault without injury and harassment were also commonly reported.

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Vassall

Vassall, also sometimes known as Myatt's Field, is a very central area bordering Southwark and historically one of the most deprived areas of the borough.

It is mostly made up of Brixton but also covers parts of Stockwell, Camberwell, Oval and a very small slice of Kennington.

Crime is just below the Lambeth average and, in February, mostly consisted of drug offences, theft and violence.

Famous former Vassall inhabitants include former Prime Minister John Major and, very briefly, Vincent Van Gogh.

St Leonard's

This portion of Streatham is currently in the process of being gentrified, although it remains to be seen how successful this will be given the area's poor transport links.

Crime is at the Lambeth and London average, with eight incidents per 1,000 residents.

Offences were mostly assault without injury, theft and harassment.

The co-leader of the Green Party Johnathan Bartley was elected to serve as the area's local councillor at the last election in May 2018, making him the only UK political party leader to hold a councillor position.

Brixton Hill

The most common offences in Brixton Hill, which suffers from a rate of crime the same as the London average, include theft, non-injurious assault and violence.

The area is very popular for its nightlife and is home to iconic music venues such as Electric Brixton, which was the site of a triple-stabbing at a concert last month .

Said venue was previously known as Fridge, which hosted some of the capital's biggest gay nights and was a favourite with Boy George, before it closed in 2009 due to issues with underage drinking .

The area is also famous for street markets and shops and is considered "truly multicultural" due to its mix of ages, classes and nationalities.

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Prince's

This area, made up of Kennington and Vauxhall, is home to the MI6 Headquarters, as well as Vauxhall City Farm.

Artist Damien Hirst opened his free gallery, Newport Street Gallery, which opened in 2015.

Unsurprisingly, given it's proximity to the River Thames and tourist spots, levels of theft are high, with 23 incidents reported in February.

Residents also suffer from high levels of violence and some harassment.

Larkhall

Nestled in between Clapham and Stockwell, this is a mostly residential area with the advantage of three schools and Lambeth Hospital.

The most common crime reported by far was drug offences, although miscellaneous theft and assault without injury also featured heavily.

Criminal activity is, unsurprisingly, clustered around both Tube stations , Stockwell and Clapham North.

The 2001 census showed that a large proportion of Larkhall's population was born outside the EU and that it is popular among young adults.

Oval

Oval is home to the eponymous cricket ground val cricket ground and its name originates from a street layout designed in 1790 but never completely finished.

Its crime level in February was slightly above the Lambeth and London average, with 10 incidents reported to police per 1,000 residents.

Most offences were drug-related, which wouldn't surprise anyone who has stood outside the Tube station for more than a minute, with miscellaneous theft and violence also commonly reported.

The first ever FA cup final took place at the Kennington Oval in 1872.

Ferndale

Moving further into the city, Ferndale contains parts of Clapham and Brixton and is near to to Coldharbour and Brixton Station.

The crime rate in February was above the borough's and the city's average, with 13 crimes reported per 1,000 people.

Mugging, or theft from a person, was by far the most common crime, with 40 incidents reported in just one month, averaging out to more than one per day.

The area is home to the iconic music venue Brixton Academy .

Clapham Town

Again popular for young professionals due to a large number of bars and with the corresponding higher average rent.

This area also boasts excellent transport links due to Clapham Junction station , which could be the site of a massive redevelopment according to proposals still in their early stage.

An eye-watering 52 incidents of miscellaneous theft were reported in February, which averages out to almost two such crimes a day.

Muggings were also common, with 24 reported in the month, as well as assault without injury.

Coldharbour

Located in Brixton and near to Camberwell, don't confuse this neighbourhood, which notably contains no harbours cold or otherwise, with an area by the same name in Tower Hamlets .

Described as mostly a residential area, it still has a good amount of shops.

15 crimes were reported per 1,000 people, largely miscellaneous theft, harassment and drug offences.

The 80s Brixton riot, the most serious in the UK during the whole of the 20th century, started in this area.

Bishop's

Unsurprisingly, given its incredibly central location, Bishop's is by far the most dangerous place in Lambeth according to police data from February.

Home to London Waterloo , the London Eye and the Southbank Centre , its high density of tourists makes it a siren for thieves.

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91 miscellaneous thefts and 35 thefts from a person were reported in just one month, which averages out to 4.5 reported thefts every single day.

Along with high levels of harassment, this means that the crime rate in February was 25 incidents per 1,000 residents, way above the London average of 8.

Along with theft, a common reported offence was harassment.

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