Council data has revealed that violence and sexual offences are the most commonly reported crimes in Kingston, with recent figures showing the rate is continuing to climb both locally and across London.
Data sets from Kingston Borough Council’s data page show that violence and sexual offences were by far the most commonly reported crimes in Kingston last year. The category groups two types of crime that often overlap, violent offences and sexual offences, and ranges from minor assaults to rape and murder.
A total of 3,919 cases of violence and sexual offences were reported in Kingston in 2025, compared with 1,628 shoplifting offences, 1,009 vehicle crimes and 908 public order offences.
Further council data shows that, not only are violence and sexual offences the most commonly reported crimes in Kingston, but they are on the rise. While Kingston’s crime rate stands significantly below the London average, the number of recorded incidents of violence and sexual offences are rising at a faster rate than in the capital as a whole.
Crime rates are calculated as the average number of offences per 1,000 residents.
The Metropolitan Police have attributed the rise in violent and sexual crime in London to the increasing prevalence of cybercrime, and the introduction of the Online Safety Act 2023.
The Online Safety Act 2023 introduced two new sexual offences into law, namely sending and sharing of intimate photos or films. By doing this, the act enabled new categories of crime to be recorded that would not have been previously, making it possible for victims to report instances of sexual abuse that are increasingly taking place online.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that, from March 2024 to March 2025, there was an 11% increase in reported sexual offences across the UK. The new offences under the Online Safety Act 2023 accounted for more than half of that increase.
The number of offences in the data below are approximate.
In Kingston, some residents attribute the rise in reported crime to a lack of action by local authorities.
Kingston resident Jon Fray is campaigning for an improvement in street lighting to combat criminality. He blames the insufficient maintenance of street lighting for the rise in crime, saying that many areas of Kingston are poorly lit at night, leaving people at risk.
“Some years ago, following a rape at or close to Bank Lane, councillors voted to improve the street lighting, which was considered to be inadequate. Unfortunately the council has not been especially proactive in maintaining that street lighting,” he said.
Fray noted that the faulty lighting outside the Kingston Wetherspoons has been a concern for years, and that clubbers moving from the pub to Circuit are doing so in darkness, making them vulnerable.
Credit: Jon Fray
Another resident, Luke Cozier, argued that more preventative measures are needed. He said that the authorities should not wait until behaviour crosses into criminality before acting.
Cozier said: “Where council data highlights concern around violent or sexual offences, it becomes even more important that institutions don’t rely solely on criminal thresholds before taking preventative action.
“Safeguarding is often about identifying and addressing early warning signs, particularly in environments such as gyms, where people train in close proximity and expect a safe space,” he added.
The council has pledged to tackle violence and sexual crime and is accredited under the White Ribbon campaign, which pushes men and boys in challenging violence against women and girls.
The Courier has approached Kingston Council for comment on the data and residents’ concerns.
