Central electoral ward · May 2026 boundaries. Every figure carries its own date.
What stands out here?
Homes rented privately: 55% here, compared with 28% across Watford (26.7 percentage points higher).
A larger private-rented sector changes the mix of housing advice, enforcement and tenant support needed. It does not tell us whether individual homes are affordable or safe.
21 March 2021 · ward and council use the same source, measure and date.
Why this comparison is valid
The difference is in percentage points. The wider figure is the published council total, not the average of its wards. Differences describe groups, not every resident.
People aged 16+ with a degree or equivalent: 47.3% here, compared with 41.1% across Watford (6.2 percentage points higher).
Qualifications show local skills, not whether people have secure jobs or use those skills at work.
21 March 2021 · ward and council use the same source, measure and date.
Why this comparison is valid
The difference is in percentage points. The wider figure is the published council total, not the average of its wards. Differences describe groups, not every resident.
People aged 65 or over: 7% here, compared with 12.6% across Watford (5.6 percentage points lower).
Age helps locate demand for accessible homes, transport and support. Being older does not itself mean someone needs care.
21 March 2021 · ward and council use the same source, measure and date.
Why this comparison is valid
The difference is in percentage points. The wider figure is the published council total, not the average of its wards. Differences describe groups, not every resident.
21 March 2021, residents aged 16 and over. Includes full-time students in the corresponding work/unemployment categories. Not a current labour-market estimate or the usual 16–64 employment rate. Census took place during the coronavirus pandemic; furlough and lockdown affected answers. Ward counts sum complete official output-area best-fit membership; privacy adjustment can make totals differ slightly.
21 March 2021, residents aged 16 and over. Includes full-time students in the corresponding work/unemployment categories. Not a current labour-market estimate or the usual 16–64 employment rate. Census took place during the coronavirus pandemic; furlough and lockdown affected answers. Ward counts sum complete official output-area best-fit membership; privacy adjustment can make totals differ slightly.
Residents aged 16+ not working because of long-term illness or disability
2.9%
21 March 2021 · Central
Show the workings
21 March 2021, residents aged 16 and over. Includes full-time students in the corresponding work/unemployment categories. Not a current labour-market estimate or the usual 16–64 employment rate. Census took place during the coronavirus pandemic; furlough and lockdown affected answers. Ward counts sum complete official output-area best-fit membership; privacy adjustment can make totals differ slightly.
21 March 2021, residents aged 16 and over. Includes full-time students in the corresponding work/unemployment categories. Not a current labour-market estimate or the usual 16–64 employment rate. Census took place during the coronavirus pandemic; furlough and lockdown affected answers. Ward counts sum complete official output-area best-fit membership; privacy adjustment can make totals differ slightly.
21 March 2021, residents aged 16 and over. Includes full-time students in the corresponding work/unemployment categories. Not a current labour-market estimate or the usual 16–64 employment rate. Census took place during the coronavirus pandemic; furlough and lockdown affected answers. Ward counts sum complete official output-area best-fit membership; privacy adjustment can make totals differ slightly. Unemployed residents as a share of all residents aged 16+; this is not the unemployment rate among economically active people.
Police-recorded locations for Central ward. Locations are approximate; these are not all crimes or a measure of personal risk.
3,120 mapped crimes
September 2025 to August 2026. Compared with 2,944 in the previous 12 months. Anti-social behaviour is counted separately.
Mapped crime over time
September 2024 to August 2026
Central ward · mapped crimes
Reviewed figures: September 2024 to August 2026. This reviewed record covers fewer than 30 years, so the chart opens on all of it.
Shown on this chart: 214 mapped crimes in September 2024; 327 mapped crimes in August 2026. These are recorded counts; check the coverage notes before comparing periods.
200.4268.2336
September 2024August 2026
The line joins consecutive published observations.
Hover or tap the chart for a value. Use the date slider with touch or arrow keys. Escape closes the chart label.
Monthly crime and anti-social behaviour
Recorded locations by month · Central
Month
Mapped crime
Anti-social behaviour
September 2024
214
67
October 2024
228
76
November 2024
274
53
December 2024
226
44
January 2025
228
68
February 2025
236
56
March 2025
247
62
April 2025
232
55
May 2025
217
81
June 2025
246
75
July 2025
279
87
August 2025
317
62
September 2025
246
56
October 2025
241
69
November 2025
235
51
December 2025
223
40
January 2026
228
58
February 2026
242
60
March 2026
264
77
April 2026
225
74
May 2026
271
62
June 2026
293
85
July 2026
325
90
August 2026
327
70
Crime categories in the latest complete year
September 2025 to August 2026 · Central
Category
Mapped crimes
violent crime
1,021
shoplifting
649
other theft
270
public order
235
criminal damage arson
192
drugs
177
theft from the person
117
bicycle theft
109
vehicle crime
100
burglary
86
robbery
82
possession of weapons
43
other crime
39
What these numbers include
Approximate published locations, not every crime or personal risk.
Anti-social behaviour is separate. Transport police and unusable locations excluded.
An empty ward count means no mapped rows in the complete required force files; it does not prove that no crime occurred.
These are retrieved mapped records, not a guarantee of complete crime reporting. Approximate locations and unmapped incidents limit comparisons.
Missing ward-months invalidate totals and changes. Busy centres attract visitors, so residential population is not a measure of the number of people exposed.
