Is Reading a nice place to live?
Thames Valley town with strong tech and rail links to London.
Police.uk data for 2026-06
876 crimes recorded
Within roughly a mile of Reading centre. Most common: Violence & sexual offences.
Category breakdown
Violence & sexual offences
292 (33%)
Shoplifting
144 (16%)
Anti-social behaviour
110 (13%)
Public order
71 (8%)
Other theft
63 (7%)
Criminal damage & arson
48 (5%)
Vehicle crime
40 (5%)
Bicycle theft
22 (3%)
Drugs
19 (2%)
Burglary
17 (2%)
Robbery
16 (2%)
Theft from the person
13 (1%)
Other crime
11 (1%)
Possession of weapons
10 (1%)
What this data does and doesn't tell you
This is a count of crimes reported to police and recorded within roughly a mile of Reading's centre — it isn't a "safety score" and it doesn't capture things like community, schools, transport links or how an area actually feels to live in. Areas with more footfall (town centres, retail parks) often show higher raw counts simply because more people pass through them, not because they're more dangerous to live in. Use this alongside a proper visit, not instead of one.