Safety index · Lewisham, London · data through August 2026
Is Forest Hill safe?
Forest Hill sits at the safer end of Inner London by reported crime. Its SafeRoute safety index is 79 out of 100 — 19 points above the Inner London median of 60, ranking 28th of 248 Inner London areas — based on 170 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 Forest Hill against other neighbourhoods here, and cannot be read against a score in another city.
The largest reported category here is violent crime (33% 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 | 56 · 33% | |
| Anti-social behaviour | 39 · 23% | |
| Robbery | 8 · 5% | |
| Other theft | 16 · 9% | |
| Public order | 9 · 5% | |
| Vehicle crime | 13 · 8% |
Walking in Forest Hill 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
- Sydenham69/100 · Moderate
- Perry Vale77/100 · Low risk
- Dulwich Hill81/100 · Low risk
- Dulwich Wood86/100 · Low risk
- Peckham Rye85/100 · Low risk
Common questions
Is Forest Hill safe at night?
Low risk overall (safety index 79/100). Reported crime is low for Inner London, but stick to lit, busier streets late.
What is the most common crime in Forest Hill?
Violent crime — 56 of 170 incidents (33%) reported within 1 km of the neighbourhood centre over the month to August 2026.
How is the Forest Hill 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.