In February 2026 Reading Borough Council launched its 2026 Annual Community Safety Survey, inviting residents across Reading, Berkshire, to identify local crime issues and places where they feel unsafe. The council says responses will help ensure limited resources — such as CCTV and street lighting — are targeted where they are most needed.
The survey is part of the Community Safety Partnership’s work linked to the Community Safety and Serious Violence Strategy 2023–2026 and is being facilitated by Reading Borough Council in collaboration with Thames Valley Police and community groups. Residents are being asked to report concerns about specific problems including anti-social behaviour, knife violence and retail theft so those priorities can inform policing and council plans for 2026/27.
The Reading Neighbourhood Network (RNN) is supporting the council’s outreach and encouraging borough‑wide participation. Survey results will be shared with Thames Valley Police and other Community Safety Partnership partners so they can better understand where people feel most at risk and use that intelligence to inform hotspot patrols and other responses.
Data sources show different measures of crime in Reading: for example, CrimeRate reported an overall crime rate of about 79 crimes per 1,000 people for 2025, while local strategic summaries referenced in council planning use other metrics. Regardless of the exact measure, public perception of safety — particularly in the town centre — remains a concern.
Residents can also raise their concerns in person at Safer Neighbourhood Forums being held across the borough in the coming weeks and months, where council and Thames Valley Police officers and local councillors will be available to hear experiences and discuss local issues.
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