Crime in Kempston
Recorded crime in Kempston is 0.9 times the Bedford average and 0.8 times the England and Wales average. Over 5 years it has risen 11%. Most of the harm comes from violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences). Police data to August 2026.
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Kempston: about 23,360 residents in 21 neighbourhoods.
- Safety in the UK
- 5/10Average crime
- Living
- 6.3/10Fair
- 5-year change
- +11%more crimes
- vs the council
- 0.9×the Bedford average
Neighbourhoods by Safety
Within 1.5 km of the centre of Kempston.
Crime over 5 years
Up 11% in 5 years Recorded crimes within 1.5 km of Kempston, anti-social behaviour left out.
What is recorded
Crime severity: 0.9× the Bedford average (0.8× the England and Wales average). 74 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year.
- Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences): 62% of the harm here
- Burglary: 15% of the harm here
- Drugs: 6% of the harm here
"Violence and sexual offences" is 62% of the harm here. It is a broad police category: most of these crimes are assaults without injury, harassment and threats, often indoors between people who know each other, and only a small part are sexual or serious violent offences. Police data does not say which, so each one is weighted at the England and Wales average for the category, which can overstate a quiet residential area.
Anti-social behaviour: 18 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, not scored. Not a crime, so it is not part of the Safety score.
Crimes recorded in Bedford (the whole council area)
April 2025 to March 2026, for the whole Bedford council area, not only Kempston. Source: Home Office, police recorded crime by community safety partnership.
| Type | Crimes in 2025/26 | Per 1,000 residents | Change on 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cars stolen | 317 | 1.6 | Down 12% |
| Cars broken into | 510 | 2.6 | Down 16% |
| Vandalism (homes, other buildings and vehicles) | 854 | 4.4 | Down 2% |
| Burglary of homes | 225 | 1.2 | Down 20% |
| Homicide (murder and manslaughter) | 0 | - | - |
Under 10 a year: no rate or change, the numbers are too small to compare.
How often crimes lead to a charge in MK42
In MK42, the postcode district at the centre of Kempston, 12% 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) | 2,198 | 10% | 7% | 70% | 10% | 4% |
| Shoplifting | 1,010 | 24% | 1% | 8% | 66% | 0% |
| Public order | 491 | 13% | 2% | 56% | 27% | 2% |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 461 | 7% | 3% | 37% | 51% | 1% |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 412 | 2% | 0% | 9% | 87% | 1% |
| Other theft | 380 | 2% | 1% | 25% | 71% | 2% |
| Drugs | 226 | 36% | 23% | 24% | 11% | 6% |
| Burglary | 223 | 7% | 1% | 13% | 79% | 0% |
| Other crime | 143 | 16% | 10% | 54% | 10% | 10% |
| Bicycle theft | 103 | 2% | 1% | 9% | 87% | 1% |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 63 | 33% | 3% | 52% | 6% | 5% |
| Robbery | 54 | 11% | 0% | 52% | 35% | 2% |
Uses the latest outcome police have recorded so far. 3% of these crimes are still open, so the final figures may be a little higher.
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 | 0.6 |
| Burglary | 4.1 |
| Violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences) | 26.9 |
| Drugs | 3.3 |
| Possession of weapons (knives and other weapons) | 0.6 |
| Other crime | 1.5 |
| Other theft | 4.6 |
| Theft from the person (pickpocketing, bag snatching) | 0.4 |
| Vehicle crime (cars stolen and broken into) | 7.0 |
| Criminal damage and arson (vandalism) | 7.6 |
| Public order | 6.7 |
| Bicycle theft | 1.1 |
| Shoplifting | 9.1 |
Postcode districts in Kempston
Nearby towns
Council: Bedford
Questions about crime in Kempston
- Is Kempston a safe place to live?
- Kempston scores 5 out of 10 for safety (average crime), compared with every neighbourhood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Crime severity is 0.9 times the Bedford average.
- Is crime going up or down in Kempston?
- Up 11% over 5 years, from 1,669 recorded crimes a year to 1,856.
- What is the most common crime in Kempston?
- The most common recorded crime is violence and sexual offences (assaults, harassment, sexual offences), about 27 per 1,000 residents a year.
- How does crime in Kempston compare with Bedford?
- Crime severity in Kempston is 0.9 times the Bedford average.
- How often does crime lead to a charge in Kempston?
- In MK42, the postcode district at the centre of Kempston, 12% of crimes reported between September 2024 and August 2025 led to someone being charged or summonsed (England and Wales: 9%). 38% were closed without a suspect being identified.
- How many burglaries are solved in Kempston?
- Of 223 burglaries reported in MK42, the postcode district at the centre of Kempston between September 2024 and August 2025, 7% led to someone being charged or summonsed and 79% were closed with no suspect identified.
- How many cars are stolen in Kempston?
- In Bedford, the council area Kempston is in, the police recorded 317 cars stolen in 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 1.6 per 1,000 residents, down 12% on the year before.
- Is vandalism common in Kempston?
- 854 acts of vandalism to homes, other buildings and vehicles were recorded in 2025/26, in Bedford, the council area Kempston is in, 4.4 per 1,000 residents, 0.9 times the England and Wales average.
- How many murders were there in Kempston last year?
- No homicides (murder or manslaughter) were recorded in 2025/26, in Bedford, the council area Kempston is in, against 3 the year before.