Safety index · Wandsworth, London · data through August 2026
Is Balham safe?
Balham sits at the safer end of Inner London by reported crime. Its SafeRoute safety index is 75 out of 100 — 15 points above the Inner London median of 60, ranking 46th of 248 Inner London areas — based on 273 incidents reported to the police within 1 km of the neighbourhood centre over the month to August 2026.
DATA THROUGH AUGUST 2026 · 1 MONTH OF DATA
The 0–100 scale is calibrated to London — a typical London neighbourhood sits near 60. It ranks Balham against other neighbourhoods here, and cannot be read against a score in another city.
The largest reported category here is violent crime (15% of reports) — worth taking seriously when walking at night; the full mix is broken down below.
Where incidents cluster
What's reported here
| Violent crime | 40 · 15% | |
| Anti-social behaviour | 52 · 19% | |
| Vehicle crime | 61 · 22% | |
| Theft from a person | 18 · 7% | |
| Other theft | 25 · 9% | |
| Public order | 13 · 5% |
Walking in Balham at night?
SafeRoute scores every walking route against the same official crime data on this page — and shows how much of each route runs on lit streets. Compare the routes and share your walk. Free, no account.
Get SafeRoute on the App StoreNearby areas
- Northcote78/100 · Low risk
- Trinity75/100 · Low risk
- Clapham Common & Abbeville65/100 · Moderate
- South Balham78/100 · Low risk
- Lavender62/100 · Moderate
Common questions
Is Balham safe at night?
Low risk overall (safety index 75/100). Reported crime is low for Inner London, but stick to lit, busier streets late.
What is the most common crime in Balham?
Violent crime — 40 of 273 incidents (15%) reported within 1 km of the neighbourhood centre over the month to August 2026.
How is the Balham safety index calculated?
SafeRoute weights each police-recorded incident by severity (violence weighs more than shoplifting), sums the last available period within 1 km of the neighbourhood centre, and normalises against national crime rates onto a 0–100 scale — higher is safer. It describes reported crime only; it is not a guarantee of safety. The scale is calibrated within London, so scores compare neighbourhoods to each other and cannot be read against another city's.