A crime map is a starting point, not a verdict
Before buying an alarm or camera, many households look up burglary figures for their street on the police crime map. The map is useful, but it is built in a way that can mislead a careless reader. This article summarises what the data.police.uk “About” page says about the open crime data behind the map, and what the Office for National Statistics (ONS) says about police recorded crime. The police data covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland; the ONS methodology page it draws on covers England and Wales only. It is general information, not advice.
Where the data comes from and what it covers
According to data.police.uk, the site publishes street-level crime and outcome data supplied by 43 geographic police forces and some other agencies across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Police forces in Scotland are not among the areas the page lists, so a Scottish householder cannot use the same tool to compare streets and should look to Police Scotland and Scottish Government statistics instead.
Data is released monthly. Each monthly file is described as a snapshot in time at the end of a particular month. That has a practical consequence: a crime shown in one month may later be reclassified as a different type of offence, so a burglary count for a recent month can change.
Why the dots are not the front doors
The map does not plot the exact location of an incident. The site explains that each crime is attached to a point from a master list of anonymous map points. Points are chosen so that they sit over the centre of a street, over a public place such as a park or airport, or over a commercial premises. Each point must have a catchment area that contains at least eight postal addresses, or no postal addresses at all. The list was refreshed in 2022, and if the nearest point is more than 20km away the coordinates are left blank.
The result is that a cluster of burglaries shown on one street may have happened on neighbouring streets or in a nearby cul-de-sac that has no point of its own. The map shows an area, not a property. It is a poor basis for concluding that one particular house or road is safe or unsafe.
Accuracy varies by force
The same page reports that geocoding accuracy differs across forces, with estimates ranging from 60% to 97%. Linking a crime to the later court outcome is also uneven, with success rates it puts between 19% and 97% depending on where the crime occurred. The British Transport Police and the Police Service of Northern Ireland do not supply outcome data. Two areas with similar dots on the map may therefore not be strictly comparable, and blank outcomes should not be read as “nothing was done”.
Recorded crime is not all crime
Police recorded crime only counts offences that are reported and that the police record. The ONS methodology page contrasts it with the Crime Survey for England and Wales, which asks households about their experience whether or not it was reported. The ONS notes that police recorded crime is not designated as National Statistics, while the Crime Survey is. It also cites an earlier inspectorate finding of under-recording concentrated in violent and sexual offences, and says recent rises in some categories partly reflect improved recording compliance rather than more crime. That finding is not specific to burglary, but it illustrates why trends in recorded figures need careful reading. For a fuller explanation of the household survey figures, see the site’s guide to reading the ONS burglary figures for England and Wales.
Practical ways to use the map
- Look at several months rather than one, because monthly counts on a small area are volatile and can be revised.
- Compare the whole neighbourhood or ward, not a single dot, given that points represent groups of at least eight addresses.
- Read burglary alongside other categories such as vehicle crime and anti-social behaviour, which may show how the local pattern is changing.
- Use the results to decide where to look, for example whether side access, sheds or parked cars appear to be the local weak points, and then check them on the ground. The site’s rural and isolated property guide shows how patterns differ outside towns.
- Remember that a quiet map does not remove the need for basic protection, and a busy one does not mean a specific address is targeted.
Common questions
Does the map show my exact address as a crime scene?
No. Crimes are snapped to anonymous points, each covering at least eight addresses or none, so the location is deliberately approximate.
Can I use it in Scotland?
The data.police.uk page describes coverage of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scottish forces are not listed.
Why did a crime change category?
The site states that some crimes may be reclassified as a different type in later months after further police work.
Should the numbers influence insurance or alarm choices?
They can inform where to look for weaknesses, but insurers set their own conditions. Policy wording, not the map, decides what cover requires.
The bottom line
The police crime map is an open dataset with real limits: locations are deliberately approximate, accuracy varies by force, monthly figures can be revised, and recorded crime is only part of what happens. Used as a way to spot neighbourhood patterns across several months, it is helpful. Used to judge one address, it overreaches. Pair it with the household survey statistics and a walk around the property.