Epping Forest has a low crime rating, ranking 21st out of 25 in nearby areas in terms of safety. The area reported 11,390 incidents in 2023, with a population of 134,980, leading to a crime rate of 84.38 incidents per 1,000 residents. Notably, this rate marks a 7.11% decrease from the previous year, showing a positive trend in crime reduction.
The most frequent crime categories include violence and sexual offences (34.4%), vehicle crime (13.2%), and anti-social behaviour (9.1%). Meanwhile, the rarest crimes were theft from the person, possession of weapons, and bicycle theft, each accounting for less than 1% of total incidents.
In Epping Forest, which is divided into 32 wards, Loughton Broadway, Waltham Abbey South West, and Waltham Abbey High Beach are noted for higher crime rates, whereas Loughton Roding, Theydon Bois, and Lower Sheering are among the safest. Similarly, the postcode districts EN8, CM1, and CM18 report higher crime statistics, while CM15, CM21, and CM4 are comparatively safer.
Epping Forest witnessed a notable increase in Anti-social behaviour and Drugs related crimes in 2020, with a rise in Violence and sexual offences in 2021. However, there was a significant decrease in Anti-social behaviour, along with reductions in Burglary, Drugs, Other theft, and Vehicle crime from 2020 to 2023, and a decline in Violence and sexual offences in 2022 and 2023.