London‘s most dangerous areas for tourists are revealed today, in a MailOnline investigation that uncovers the scale of crimes being committed near popular attractions.
The area outside the National Portrait Gallery off Trafalgar Square came top of the list after seeing 3,060 crimes over the past year including 1,200 thefts from people.
The Royal Academy of Arts about half a mile away on Piccadilly was in second place after 1,652 crimes were reported in a year including more than 550 thefts.
The Royal Ballet and Opera and the London Transport Museum, both in the Covent Garden area, were third with 1,548 crimes and fourth with 1,227 respectively.
The British Museum near Holborn – the UK’s most-visited attraction – was fifth with 1,173 crimes, while the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square came sixth with 1,004.
Also in the top ten were The Monument (828 crimes), British Library (824), Southbank Centre (773), Cutty Sark (753), Big Ben (667) and Westminster Abbey (577).
Other areas outside attractions with high crime rates included outside the Young V&A (555), Wellcome Collection (527), St Paul’s Cathedral (514) and the trio of the London Dungeon, Sea Life London Aquarium and Shrek’s Adventure (all 426).
Also seeing a significant number in the year were Banqueting House (394), Courtauld Gallery (323), Natural History Museum (288) and Buckingham Palace (249).
Safer areas were found to be outside Central London – including the London Wetland Centre in Barnes (six), National Maritime Museum (17) and Old Royal Naval College (18) which are both in Greenwich, Kensington Palace (19) and Eltham Palace (23).
Despite the thousands of crimes committed outside attractions, separate analysis by MailOnline back in March found a zone straddling Oxford Street and parts of Soho which does not feature any of the attractions is London’s worst area for thefts.
| Rank | Closest tourist attraction | Total crimes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Portrait Gallery | 3,060 |
| 2 | Royal Academy of Arts | 1,652 |
| 3 | Royal Ballet and Opera | 1,548 |
| 4 | London Transport Museum | 1,227 |
| 5 | The British Museum | 1,173 |
| 6 | The National Gallery | 1,004 |
| 7 | The Monument | 828 |
| 8 | British Library | 824 |
| 9 | Southbank Centre | 773 |
| 10 | Cutty Sark | 753 |
| 11 | Big Ben | 667 |
| 12 | Westminster Abbey | 577 |
| 13 | Young V&A | 555 |
| 14 | Wellcome Collection | 527 |
| 15 | St Paul’s Cathedral | 514 |
| 16 | London Dungeon | 426 |
| 17 | Banqueting House | 394 |
| 18 | The Courtauld Gallery | 323 |
| 19 | Natural History Museum | 288 |
| 20 | Buckingham Palace | 249 |
| 21 | London Eye | 220 |
| 22 | Guildhall Art Gallery | 217 |
| 23 | Tate Modern | 212 |
| 24 | Somerset House | 199 |
| 25 | Royal Albert Hall | 180 |
| 26 | London Museum Docklands | 175 |
| 27 | Tower of London | 171 |
| 28 | Madame Tussauds | 162 |
| 29 | The Barbican Centre | 160 |
| 30 | The National Theatre | 150 |
| 31 | Shakespeare’s Globe | 126 |
| 32 | Churchill War Rooms | 124 |
| 33 | Science Museum | 122 |
| 34 | V&A South Kensington | 115 |
| 35 | Tate Britain | 104 |
| 36 | IWM London | 97 |
| 37 | Design Museum | 90 |
| 38 | HMS Belfast | 79 |
| 39 | Horniman Museum and Gardens | 52 |
| 39 | London Zoo | 52 |
| 39 | National Army Museum | 52 |
| 42 | Kew Gardens | 36 |
| 43 | Eltham Palace | 23 |
| 44 | Kensington Palace | 19 |
| 45 | Old Royal Naval College | 18 |
| 46 | National Maritime Museum | 17 |
| 47 | London Wetland Centre | 6 |
| MailOnline analysis, data.police.uk • Reported crimes recorded 250m of tourist attractions(or the closest if near several); police anonymisation of crime locations may lead to some margin of error | ||
MailOnline began its latest research by compiling popular attractions in London which are members of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions – plus Merlin Entertainments attractions which are not, such as the London Eye and Dungeon.
Crime data was collated within 250m (800ft) of the centre of each venue using Metropolitan Police and City of London Police figures for the 12 months between May 2024 to April 2025.
If more than two attractions were within 250m of a crime, that crime was added to the total of the closest attraction – to ensure no crimes were duplicated.
This provided a quantitative view of safety outside the attractions – with recorded crime types including anti-social behaviour, bicycle theft, robbery and theft from the person.
Others were vehicle crime, violence and sexual offences, burglary, criminal damage and arson, drugs, public order, shoplifting and then ‘other theft’ or ‘other crime’.
A National Portrait Gallery spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘The National Portrait Gallery is located in an area of London with huge daytime and tourist footfall. The Gallery received 1.6million visits in 2024/25 and had 2 instances of reportable crime.
‘The Gallery is committed to the safety of our visitors, with comprehensive measures in place including trained security staff on all entrances, CCTV monitoring and regular safety patrols, plus we work closely with local police, Heart of London Business Alliance and Westminster Council.
‘Our audience feedback indicates that visitors have a safe and enjoyable time at the Gallery, with 99 per cent saying they would recommend a visit to friends and family.’
The area around the Royal Academy coming second is notable, given it is just across the road on Piccadilly where veteran broadcaster Selina Scott was viciously attacked and robbed in broad daylight last month.
The 74-year-old stalwart of British TV was leaving a Waterstones shop on June 17 when she was struck on the back of her right knee, leaving her feeling as if she had been ‘stabbed’.
A police van outside the main entrance gates of the British Museum in London in August 2023
Police officers on horseback in the Covent Garden area of London in December 2024
She was set upon by a gang who attempted to grab her backpack. Fighting back, she kept hold of the bag – but one of the thieves unzipped it and took her purse before running off. Ms Scott lost her bank cards, driving licence and cash in the robbery.
This week, more than 30 locations across London were identified as the worst for anti-social behaviour, theft and street crime as police patrols are stepped up.
The Metropolitan Police is desperately trying to fight back against a crime epidemic gripping the capital from pickpocketing to violence and fare evasion to robbery.
Some 20 town centre and high street areas now account for 10 per of knife crime, 24 per cent of theft person offences and 6 per cent of anti-social behaviour calls.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s office has now confirmed there will be increased police patrols and intelligence-led plain-clothed operations in these crime hotspots.
Officials added that detectives will be targeting wanted and prolific offenders who commit multiple offences, particularly shoplifting and anti-social behaviour.
But Susan Hall AM, leader of the City Hall Conservative Group, told MailOnline: ‘Crime in London continues to get worse under Labour as Londoners are marauded by criminals across the capital.
The area outside the National Portrait Gallery near Trafalgar Square saw 3,060 crimes in a year
The area outside the Royal Academy of Arts (pictured) in Piccadilly saw 1,652 crimes in a year
‘Despite this, Khan is happy to oversee huge police cuts, denying our officers the resources they need and the public the security required to keep them safe. It’s a disgrace – he needs to get a grip on this.’
The Mayor’s office said the aim of its new drive was to ‘put visible neighbourhood policing at the heart of fighting crime and rebuilding community confidence’.
Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Matt Jukes said: ‘Our intelligence and data-led approach to tackle the crimes that matter most to Londoners – such as shoplifting, robbery and anti-social behaviour – is already working.
‘We’re arresting 1,000 more criminals each month, neighbourhood crime is down 19 per cent and we’ve solved 163 per cent more shoplifting cases this year.
‘In 32 of the hardest hit areas, we’re working with the community, councils, businesses and partners, to focus our resources and bear down on prolific offenders and gangs who blight too many neighbourhoods across the capital.’
Last month, London was revealed as the 15th most dangerous city for crime in Europe – and the 100th worst out of 385 locations around the world, according to Numbeo’s Crime Index .
And Matt Goodwin, senior visiting professor of politics at the University of Buckingham, wrote in the Daily Mail last month: ‘London is over. It’s so over.’
Veteran broadcaster Selina Scott was attacked and robbed by a gang on Piccadilly last month
The bus stop next to Waterstones on Piccadilly in London where Ms Scott was attacked
He cited data showing that there were 90,000 shoplifting offences in the capital last year, up 54 per cent.
Professor Goodwin added that there is now an alleged rape every hour in London – and reported sexual offences against women and girls has risen 14 per cent in five years, while homelessness and rough sleeping increased 26 per cent in one year.
Meanwhile a policing expert told MailOnline that the incident involving Ms Scott showed London had become a ‘crime-ridden cesspit’.
Ex-New Scotland Yard detective Peter Bleksley said the force was now so stretched in the West End that private security companies were being deployed to help.
He condemned the ‘epidemic of crime’ in London from pickpocketing to violence and fare evasion to robbery, adding that it was ‘driving people away’ from the capital.
Separate research by MailOnline in March uncovered London’s most crime-infested neighbourhoods – with Leicester Square, Covent Garden and the surrounding tourist-laden area now the capital’s hotspot for violent and sex crime.
The analysis, consisting of nearly 5,000 districts across London’s 32 boroughs, also found a small zone straddling Oxford Street and parts of Soho was top for thefts.
MailOnline contacted the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, Merlin Entertainments, National Portrait Gallery and Royal Academy of Arts for comment.
