Reported crime across east London fell at the start of 2026, with overall totals dropping from 13,722 incidents in December to 13,030 in January, according to Newham Recorder.
While five of the six boroughs recorded lower crime counts in January compared to the previous month, one local authority saw a slight rise, continuing the mixed picture for the region.
Newham maintained its position as the borough with the highest volume of reported crime, registering 3,370 incidents in January. This represented a slight decrease of 1.57 per cent from the 3,424 recorded in December. Theft remained the most common offence, with 981 reports made, followed by violence against the person with 911 reports and vehicle offences with 357. Of these top three categories, only violence against the person saw an increase from the 885 reports made the month before.
Tower Hamlets recorded the second-highest count, with 2,687 reports in January marking a substantial drop of 12.58 per cent. The most frequent crime types were theft (779 reports), violence against the person (771), and vehicle offences (212). Vehicle offences was the sole category among these to see a higher total in January than in December.
In Redbridge, reported crime fell by 4.02 per cent to 2,005 incidents in January. Violence against the person was the top contributor with 662 reports, ahead of theft (455) and vehicle offences (245). Mirroring the trend in Tower Hamlets, vehicle offences was the only one of these three types to increase, rising from 220 reports in December.
Only Borough to See Increase
Waltham Forest was the lone borough to experience an increase in reported crime, rising from 1,888 incidents in December to 1,912 in January. The most regular crime types were violence against the person (531 cases), theft (530), and vehicle offences (180). Violence and theft both saw increases from the previous month, while vehicle offences decreased. Other categories that rose in Waltham Forest included sexual offences, which were up by 18 per cent, burglary (up 1.66 per cent), and arson and criminal damage (up 3.33 per cent).
The gap between Barking and Dagenham and Havering widened in January. Barking and Dagenham registered 1,561 reports, a decrease of 3.82 per cent, while Havering saw 1,495 reports, a larger drop of 7.94 per cent. In December, the two boroughs had been separated by a single report.
Violence against the person was the most commonly reported crime in Barking and Dagenham (570 reports), followed by theft (258) and vehicle offences (171). Vehicle offences there increased from 164 in December. In Havering, the same three crime types led, with 475 reports of violence against the person, 294 of theft, and 220 of vehicle offences. Theft in Havering rose by 6.52 per cent and vehicle offences by 34.14 per cent compared to December. Reports of weapon possession in the borough also increased, from 10 in December to 17 in January.
