Kingston upon Thames officially has less registered crime than any other London borough.
According to the latest Metropolitan Police data, in the last 12 months there were only 10,957 criminal offences registered in the area which is the smallest number among all the boroughs in London. Neighbouring Sutton is trailing behind with 11,257 crimes.
However, in terms of crimes per capita Kingston upon Thames came only 8th with Bexley enjoying the lowest rate in the capital.
Kingston’s vibrant town centre accounts for about a third of the borough’s total crime and appears in the red zone on the Metropolitan police crime map.
This September there were 873 registered crimes in the Kingston area, 292 of them happening in the town centre, which included more than 70 cases of violence and more than 90 instances of anti-social behaviour.
The borough’s police force say it is the vibrant shopping and night life economy is to blame for such a concentration of crime.
According to Andy Pattison from the Kingston Police: “The town centre is unique within the London Metropolitan area in that it is encompassed entirely within the Grove ward which accounts for the ward being responsible for almost one third of crime in the borough. Other popular town centres in London span several wards hence their crime figures not being as high.”
Police data shows that on a busy night Kingston late night pubs and clubs can attract up to 16,500 revellers.
Police claim that given the scale of the night life, the crime rates are far from threatening: “The victimisation rate in relation to the numbers of people in the town centre is very low. There are currently no identified gang issues or organised drug networks.”
“Kingston Borough remains one of the safest boroughs in London,” said Mr Pattison.
