Is Kensington and Chelsea safe?

Kensington and Chelsea has a crime rate of 124.67 per 1,000 residents — below the national average for England and Wales, placing it among the lower-crime areas in the UK at #293 of 331 local authorities. Crime levels vary significantly across Kensington and Chelsea's wards; some neighbourhoods are considerably safer than the city average. See the ward breakdown and hotspot map on this page for a detailed local picture.

What is the crime rate in Kensington and Chelsea?

As of April 2026, Kensington and Chelsea has an annual crime rate of 124.67 per 1,000 residents, based on 1,879 recorded offences in the latest reporting period. This figure is sourced from Police.uk open data and normalised using ONS Census 2021 population estimates to allow accurate comparisons between areas.

How does Kensington and Chelsea rank nationally for crime?

Kensington and Chelsea ranks #293 out of 331 local authorities in England and Wales by annual crime rate per 1,000 residents. A rank of #1 indicates the highest crime rate nationally. Rankings are recalculated each month as new Police.uk data becomes available, covering all recorded crimes across the area.

What is the most common crime in Kensington and Chelsea?

The most common crime type in Kensington and Chelsea is Violence & Sexual Offences, accounting for 387 incidents in April 2026 — 20.6% of all recorded crime in the area. Data is sourced from Police.uk and covers all crimes recorded by the responsible police force across the Kensington and Chelsea local authority area.

April 2026 Source: Metropolitan Police Service Police

Crime in Kensington and Chelsea: Crime Rate & Statistics 2026

Kensington and Chelsea is among the safer areas in England and Wales, recording 1,879 crimes in April 2026 — a crime rate of 9.7 per 1,000 residents. This places Kensington and Chelsea at #293 of 331 local authorities in England and Wales. Violence & Sexual Offences accounts for the largest share of crime at 20.6% of all offences recorded. Crime is down 12.5% compared to the same period last year.

warning Crime is significantly above the UK average for this area.

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Key Statistics

monitoring124.67 crimes per 1,000 residents annually
assignment1,879 crimes recorded in April 2026
leaderboardRanked #293 of 331 UK local authorities by crime rate
trending_downCrime down 12.5% year-on-year

Data Sources:Police.ukONS Census 2021HM Land Registry Period: April 2026 • Updated monthly

location_cityPart of Greater London —View all 33 London boroughs

Total Crimes

1,879

trending_down -6.1% vs last month

Annual Crime Rate

124.67per 1k

High Risk

National Safety

#293of 331

Top 6% Riskiest UK

Inner London

#9rank

Ranked by annual rate

12-Month Crime Trend

Monthly Totals

Interactive Crime Map

District View

Live Points

Crime Incident

Area Boundary

Incident Distribution

Top Locations

Location Reference	Crime Breakdown	Primary Count
On or near Supermarket Map	Shoplifting: 112	112
On or near Shopping Area Map	Shoplifting: 28 Robbery: 3	28
On or near Shopping Area Map	Public order: 11 Anti-social behaviour: 9	11
On or near Shopping Area Map	Other theft: 10 Violence and sexual offences: 9	10
On or near Hollywood Road Map	Shoplifting: 15 Robbery: 3	15
On or near Exmoor Street Map	Violence and sexual offences: 12	12
On or near Hospital Map	Violence and sexual offences: 11	11
On or near Nightclub Map	Violence and sexual offences: 7 Criminal damage and arson: 3	7
On or near Tavistock Road Map	Anti-social behaviour: 9	9
On or near Earl'S Court Gardens Map	Anti-social behaviour: 8	8

Crime Breakdown

April 2026

1,879 Total

Violence & Sexual Offences

387

20.6%

Anti-social Behaviour

380

20.2%

Shoplifting

248

13.2%

Other Theft

207

11.0%

Vehicle Crime

133

7.1%

Public Order

130

6.9%

Theft from Person

109

5.8%

Burglary

4.4%

Criminal Damage & Arson

3.7%

Drug Offences

2.4%

Robbery

1.8%

Bicycle Theft

1.5%

Other Crime

0.7%

Weapons Possession

0.6%

Crime Analysis: Kensington and Chelsea

Kensington and Chelsea recorded 1,879 crimes in April 2026, equivalent to a rate of 124.67 per 1,000 residents — one of the higher-crime areas in England and Wales, placing it in the top quarter nationally (#293 of 331 local authorities).

Violence & Sexual Offences makes up the largest share of crime in Kensington and Chelsea at 20.6%. Anti-social Behaviour (20.2%) and Shoplifting (13.2%) are the next most common categories.

Compared to the same period last year, crime in Kensington and Chelsea has fallen sharply — by 12.5%. The 12-month trend chart above shows where this change is concentrated across individual offence categories.

All figures are published monthly by Metropolitan Police Service through the Police.uk open data platform and cross-referenced with ONS 2021 Census population estimates to produce the per-resident rates above. Data typically appears 1–2 months after the end of the recording period.

Expert Safety Insights

Ward Safety Rankings

18 wards

Highest Crime

#	Ward	Crimes	Rate
1	Notting Dale	185	216.6
2	Colville	160	185.2
3	Earl's Court	148	179.4
4	Pembridge	71	170.0
5	Golborne	104	152.5

Safest Wards

	Ward	Crimes	Rate
shield	Abingdon	67	5.1
shield	Stanley	126	4.4
shield	Holland	54	5.0
shield	Queen's Gate	79	7.1
shield	Chelsea Riverside	96	7.7

Growth Analysis

Month-on-Monthtrending_down -6.1%

Year-on-Yeartrending_down -12.5%

12m Rolling Trendtrending_down -1.4%

Data Transparency

Crime rates are calculated per 1,000 residents using ONS Census 2021 population data. Rankings cover all 331 local authorities in England & Wales.

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