Kingston Upon Thames had low rates of male to female assault last year compared to other London boroughs, a Freedom of Information request has revealed.
The Kingston Courier requested data from the Metropolitan Police on the number of assaults carried out against women by men in London.
The data showed there were 17 instances of male on female assault in Kingston in 2021 up to October 31. This was the fourth lowest rate of the crime relative to population.
The Crown Prosecution Service classifies assault as any act where someone “intentionally or recklessly causes another to suffer or apprehend immediate unlawful violence”.
The Courier reported in February that 1,493 crimes were flagged as domestic abuse in Kingston in 2021, which was above pre-pandemic levels.
Estimates by WHO state roughly 1 in 3 women have suffered physical and/or sexual violence at the hands of an intimate partner or have suffered non partner sexual violence.
A recent press release from Kingston Council said women’s safety has “always been a high priority”, and they are working to develop a strategy to deal with the issue.
Their pledges include a borough wide survey about the safety of women and girls in public spaces, which will go live in mid May.
The number of male on female assaults in Kingston varied considerably over recent years as revealed by the data from the Met. Last year Kingston had fewer instances than in 2020.
The London-wide rate of women being murdered by men has increased since 2016, with 15 murders in 2016 rising to 21 in 2021 up to October 31.
In 2018, figures peaked with 28 women murdered by men in London, although the Met’s data reported none of these instances occurred in Kingston.
