Car theft and vehicle crime in Romford
518 vehicle crimes were reported to Metropolitan Police Service within about a mile of Romford from October 2025 to September 2026. The most recent quarter brought 126 offences, 19% fewer than the 156 in the quarter before it.
Romford month by month
June 2026 stands out at 76 recorded offences, while October 2025 dropped to 28. The later six months were 19% higher than the first six. Average: 43.2 a month.
| Month | Offences | vs 12-month average |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 28 | -15 |
| Nov 2025 | 37 | -6 |
| Dec 2025 | 40 | -3 |
| Jan 2026 | 55 | +12 |
| Feb 2026 | 36 | -7 |
| Mar 2026 | 40 | -3 |
| Apr 2026 | 35 | -8 |
| May 2026 | 45 | +2 |
| Jun 2026 | 76 | +33 |
| Jul 2026 | 52 | +9 |
| Aug 2026 | 28 | -15 |
| Sep 2026 | 46 | +3 |
How Romford compares
Out of the 84 areas we track, Romford ranks 19 for monthly vehicle crime at 43 a month, about 1.8 times the typical town in our set. Cardiff averaged 116.
Over the latest three months the one-mile circle around Romford averaged 42 vehicle offences a month. That puts central Romford busier than 92% of the places in our Great Britain sample. For context we counted the same one-mile radius around 400 random postcodes nationwide (Jul 2026, Aug 2026, Sep 2026). Test your own street with the free theft risk checker.
Within the Metropolitan Police Service area, Romford ranks 3 of the 6 centres we track at 43 offences a month. The others: Croydon (78), Ilford (72), Enfield Town (35), Wembley (30), Kingston upon Thames (18).
Towns nearest to Romford
- Ilford (5 miles away): 72 a month, 66% more than Romford
- Enfield Town (13 miles away): 35 a month, 19% fewer than Romford
- Basildon (13 miles away): 20 a month, 53% fewer than Romford
Where in Romford offences were recorded
The top five recorded locations hold 20% of all offences in the radius around Romford.
- On or near Mercury Gardens: 30
- On or near Parking Area: 24
- On or near Petrol Station: 24
- On or near Shopping Area: 16
- On or near Park Lane: 10
What happened to Romford cases
The most common recorded outcome near Romford was "investigation complete; no suspect identified" (455 cases).
| Outcome | Offences | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 455 | 88% |
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 29 | 6% |
| Under investigation | 18 | 3% |
| Status update unavailable | 8 | 2% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 4 | 1% |
| Court result unavailable | 4 | 1% |
What this means if you park near Romford
43 vehicle offences a month near Romford means opportunistic thieves are working the area most nights. Expect pressure to build again around June, the worst month in this data.
For a car kept near Romford, layering helps: an immobiliser to stop the engine starting, and a certified tracker for recovery if it goes anyway. See installation options.
Romford car theft questions
How much car crime is there in Romford?
518 in the latest 12 months (43 a month on average) within roughly a mile of the Romford centre. Of our 84 towns, Romford comes 19, among the higher end of the table.
When was vehicle crime worst in Romford?
The worst month was June 2026 (76). The quietest was October 2025 (28), and September 2026 came in at 46.
Are car thieves caught in Romford?
Rarely. 88% of the Romford cases (455 of 518) ended with no suspect identified, while 8 showed a court or charge outcome. Stopping the theft, or recovering the car fast, is the realistic defence.
Does this cover stolen cars only in Romford?
Not only. The 518 Romford offences combine cars stolen outright, items taken from vehicles and tampering, because police.uk publishes them as one vehicle crime category.
Source: police.uk, centred on 51.5751, 0.1858, retrieved 2026-11-06. Method and limits.