Crime in Kensington and Chelsea
Recorded crime in Kensington and Chelsea is 1.7 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has fallen 3%. The biggest share of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
144,518 residents in 101 neighbourhoods. 3% live in busy town or city centres.
- Safety in the UK
- 1/10High crime
- Safety in the world
- 6/10Average crime
- Living
- 9.7/10Excellent
- 5-year change
- −3%fewer crimes
Crime over 5 years
Down 3% in 5 years Recorded crimes in Kensington and Chelsea, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 1.7× the England and Wales average. 145 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 36% of the harm here
- Burglary: 19% of the harm here
- Robbery: 17% of the harm here
Anti-social behaviour: 39 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crime by type
Recorded crimes per 1,000 residents per year, most serious first, not counting anti-social behaviour.
| Type | Per 1,000 a year |
|---|---|
| Robbery | 4.5 |
| Burglary | 10.9 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 32.1 |
| Drugs | 7.5 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.8 |
| Other crime | 1.2 |
| Other theft | 25.0 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 12.3 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 18.7 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 7.1 |
| Public order | 8.9 |
| Bicycle theft | 3.9 |
| Shoplifting | 12.5 |
What crimes are recorded in Kensington and Chelsea
145.8 crimes per 1,000 residents were recorded in Kensington and Chelsea in 2025/26 (England and Wales: 83.2).
Our total for April 2025 to March 2026: 21,801. Home Office recorded crime: 21,075 (3% apart).
Crimes recorded by the police, April 2025 to March 2026. Source: Home Office, police recorded crime by community safety partnership.
Metropolitan Police did not assign 5.4% of the crimes it recorded in 2025/26 to a council area, so these figures are lower than the true count.
| Type | Crimes in 2025/26 | Per 1,000 residents | Change on 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars stolen | 453 | 3.1 | Down 8% |
| Cars broken into | 1,504 | 10.4 | Down 18% |
| Vehicle tampering | 144 | 1.00 | Down 14% |
| Vandalism to homes | 179 | 1.2 | Down 18% |
| Vandalism to other buildings | 93 | 0.64 | Down 15% |
| Vandalism to vehicles | 363 | 2.5 | Down 4% |
| Arson | 22 | 0.15 | Down 29% |
| Burglary of homes | 595 | 4.1 | Down 16% |
| Burglary of businesses | 434 | 3.0 | Down 21% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 4 | - | - |
| Carrying a knife or blade | 47 | 0.33 | Down 24% |
| Carrying other weapons (including guns) | 104 | 0.72 | Up 44% |
| Robbery of people | 429 | 3.0 | Down 20% |
| Robbery of businesses | 181 | 1.3 | Up 27% |
| Violence with injury | 1,129 | 7.8 | Down 5% |
| Violence without injury | 2,343 | 16.2 | Up 4% |
| Stalking and harassment | 1,110 | 7.7 | Up 10% |
| Sexual offences | 587 | 4.1 | Down 5% |
| Shoplifting | 3,239 | 22.4 | Up 23% |
| Bicycle theft | 316 | 2.2 | Down 11% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 1,857 | 12.8 | Down 30% |
| Drug dealing | 404 | 2.8 | Up 64% |
| Drug possession | 814 | 5.6 | Up 19% |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare. These are council-area figures: police.uk street-level data, used for the map and the Safety score, only has the broad categories, and no source publishes murders or stabbings by street.
Metropolitan Police area: 13,775 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in 2025/26 (16,285 the year before). This covers the whole police force area, not only Kensington and Chelsea.
Source: Home Office, police recorded knife crime by police force.
How often crimes lead to a charge
In Kensington and Chelsea, 5% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%).
- Charged or summonsed
- Caution or other action
- Suspect found, not prosecuted
- No suspect identified
- Still open
Show as a table
| Type | Crimes | Charged or summonsed | Caution or other action | Suspect found, not prosecuted | No suspect identified | Still open |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 5,272 | 7% | 3% | 56% | 25% | 10% |
| Other theft | 3,115 | 1% | 0% | 13% | 80% | 5% |
| Shoplifting | 3,054 | 9% | 2% | 11% | 75% | 3% |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 2,559 | 1% | 0% | 7% | 86% | 6% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 2,554 | 2% | 0% | 4% | 91% | 3% |
| Burglary | 1,332 | 6% | 0% | 14% | 75% | 5% |
| Public order | 1,332 | 5% | 1% | 47% | 36% | 11% |
| Drugs | 1,164 | 13% | 39% | 33% | 3% | 13% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 1,132 | 5% | 1% | 25% | 64% | 5% |
| Robbery | 714 | 5% | 0% | 22% | 66% | 8% |
| Bicycle theft | 365 | 1% | 0% | 4% | 92% | 2% |
| Other crime | 194 | 8% | 2% | 43% | 24% | 23% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 131 | 50% | 2% | 24% | 8% | 15% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 7% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
Postcode districts in Kensington and Chelsea
Questions about crime in Kensington and Chelsea
- Is Kensington and Chelsea a safe place to live?
- Kensington and Chelsea scores 1 out of 10 for safety (high crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Is crime going up or down in Kensington and Chelsea?
- Down 3% over 5 years, from 20,880 recorded crimes a year to 20,207.
- What is the most common crime in Kensington and Chelsea?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 32 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Kensington and Chelsea?
- In Kensington and Chelsea, 5% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 60% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Kensington and Chelsea?
- Of 1,332 burglaries reported in Kensington and Chelsea between September 2024 and August 2025, 6% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 75% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Kensington and Chelsea?
- In Kensington and Chelsea, the police recorded 453 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 3.1 per 1,000 residents, down 8% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Kensington and Chelsea?
- 635 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in Kensington and Chelsea in 2025/26, 4.4 per 1,000 residents, 0.9 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Kensington and Chelsea last year?
- 4 homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in Kensington and Chelsea in 2025/26, against 4 the year before.