Burglary in central Hemel Hempstead fell from 186 to 118 in a year and robbery halved. Drugs and weapons offences rose, and Berkhamsted's total was up 13%.
Burglaries in central Hemel Hempstead fell by more than a third in the year to August 2026. Police recorded 118, down from 186 in the previous 12 months. Robberies more than halved, from 65 to 30.
Overall crime was close to flat, down 2%. Two smaller categories moved the other way. Drugs offences rose from 107 to 181, and weapons possession from 29 to 55.
The figures cover a one-mile circle around the Marlowes. They are the street-level records Hertfordshire Constabulary supplies to police.uk, which we downloaded through the data.police.uk API on 4 October. August 2026 is the latest month published.
The year in numbers
One month is a noisy measure, so we compared the 12 months to August 2026 with the 12 months before.
| Type of crime | Sep 2024 to Aug 2025 | Sep 2025 to Aug 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| All crime | 4,858 | 4,766 | down 2% |
| Violence and sexual offences | 1,635 | 1,596 | down 2% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 1,042 | 1,133 | up 9% |
| Shoplifting | 511 | 440 | down 14% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 319 | 304 | down 5% |
| Vehicle crime | 274 | 259 | down 5% |
| Public order | 268 | 227 | down 15% |
| Burglary | 186 | 118 | down 37% |
| Drugs | 107 | 181 | up 69% |
| Robbery | 65 | 30 | down 54% |
| Possession of weapons | 29 | 55 | up 90% |
Drugs and weapons offences are mostly recorded when officers find them, during a stop or a search. A rise can reflect more proactive policing as much as more offending, and the data does not separate the two.
Drug dealing is one of the priorities police set in September for Kings Langley and Hemel Hempstead South East. Shoplifting enforcement is one for the town centre area. We set out every Dacorum area’s list in our report on the new policing priorities.
August on its own
Police recorded 428 crimes in the circle in August 2026, up from 398 in August 2025. July was higher still, at 486. That was the busiest month in the 25 months we checked.
August broke down like this:
| Type of crime | August 2026 |
|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 151 |
| Anti-social behaviour | 104 |
| Shoplifting | 45 |
| Other theft | 32 |
| Public order | 24 |
| Criminal damage and arson | 23 |
| Drugs | 14 |
| Burglary | 11 |
| Vehicle crime | 6 |
| Possession of weapons | 6 |
| Other types (four categories) | 12 |
The six vehicle crimes were the lowest monthly figure in the 25 months of data. Anti-social behaviour peaked earlier in the summer: June’s 140 reports were the most in any month we checked.
Shoplifting: down on the year, up again this summer
Shoplifting fell 14% across the year, but the monthly figures rose again over the summer. There were 26 reports in June, then 44 in July and 45 in August. The peak of the year was March, with 62.
Police.uk places each crime at the nearest of a set of anonymous map points, not at an exact address. In August, 19 of the 45 shoplifting reports were mapped to points the data labels “Supermarket”. So a few large shops account for much of the summer rise.
Most shoplifting cases end without anyone being caught. Of the 440 recorded in the year, 269 (61%) are listed as “investigation complete; no suspect identified”.
Berkhamsted and Tring went the other way
We ran the same check on one-mile circles around Berkhamsted High Street, about four miles west, and Tring High Street, about nine miles west.
| Town centre | Year to Aug 2025 | Year to Aug 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hemel Hempstead | 4,858 | 4,766 | down 2% |
| Berkhamsted | 915 | 1,037 | up 13% |
| Tring | 675 | 713 | up 6% |
In Berkhamsted the rise came mainly from anti-social behaviour, up from 178 reports to 255. Tring’s shoplifting rose from 52 to 76.
Burglary fell in all three. Berkhamsted’s dropped from 66 to 47, and Tring’s from 42 to 23.
What it means for you
- Burglary is well down in central Hemel. Fewer than ten were recorded in four of the eight months so far this year.
- Report anti-social behaviour, even when it seems minor. Police use these reports, with their public survey, to choose each area’s priorities. Call 101, or report online at herts.police.uk.
- In an emergency, or if a crime is happening now, call 999.
- You can report anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
- Check your own street on police.uk by entering your postcode.
About these figures
Police.uk shows recorded crimes and anti-social behaviour incidents, mapped to anonymous points so that victims cannot be identified. A circle around a town centre catches shops, bars and car parks, so it will always look busier than a residential street. Our circles are centred on the Marlowes in Hemel Hempstead and on the High Streets in Berkhamsted and Tring, and the comparisons use the same points throughout. The categories are those police.uk uses. Outcomes are updated as cases progress, so the share with no suspect identified can change.
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