If you are paying for a postcode crime report - or comparing free pages with a PDF - ask whether the document states its method clearly enough that you could explain it to someone else. This checklist matches how CrimeMapsUK builds neighbourhood reports. To see the records around a postcode before you order one, use the free postcode crime checker.
Scope that should be printed up front
A useful report states:
- the postcode searched
- the centre point used after geocoding
- the search radius (CrimeMapsUK uses a fixed 0.5 km, stored as 0.31 miles, so its crime search reaches about 499 metres)
- the month window of published data included
Without those four, two “crime in this postcode” PDFs are not comparable.
Data source and honesty
Prefer reports that:
- name the source (for CrimeMapsUK: data.police.uk)
- avoid inventing a single safe/unsafe score
- explain approximate locations
- explain that counts are recorded crime, not all crime experienced
- say outcome labels are not conviction rates
CrimeMapsUK documents processing on the methodology page and walks through the PDF in How to read a neighbourhood report.
Analysis that earns its keep
A solid postcode report usually includes:
- totals inside the radius for the chosen window
- breakdown by crime category
- month-by-month pattern
- outcome / resolution summary with plain-language limits
- comparison against a wider backdrop (force and/or national category mix)
- a map that respects anonymised locations (density or aggregates, not fake pins)
Red flags
Be cautious if a report:
- ranks the postcode as “safe” or “unsafe” without a transparent method
- mixes unofficial sources without saying so
- hides the radius or month window
- presents pins as exact addresses
- uses resident rates without documenting a matching official denominator
How this fits with free tools
Before or after a PDF, you can still explore:
Buying guides that help put the PDF in context:
Next step
If you want a CrimeMapsUK PDF that prints postcode, 0.5 km radius, month window, and limits, order from the neighbourhood reports page.