Crime in Kensington and Chelsea district: statistics, rates and trends

Violence and sexual offences (5,029), anti-social behaviour (4,924) and shoplifting (3,330) made up 53% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 7th of the 302 districts covered by this site (1 = highest), in the highest tenth.

The year to August 2026 had the least recorded crime in Kensington and Chelsea district of any year here (24,987 crimes). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it fell 3%, in line with England and Wales.

Month by month

Compared with England and Wales, Kensington and Chelsea district recorded notably more theft from the person (6.3 times the national rate), other theft (3.1 times the national rate) and bicycle theft (3.0 times the national rate), and notably less other crime (40% below) and criminal damage and arson (33% below). On the year before, criminal damage and arson fell from 1,145 to 658 and theft from the person fell from 2,418 to 1,538.

What each category covers: crime categories.

21,071 crimes, excluding fraud, were recorded by the police in Kensington and Chelsea district in the year ending March 2026, according to the Home Office's police recorded crime statistics. That is 145.8 per 1,000 residents, higher than the England and Wales rate of 83.2. Among the 272 districts of England and Wales with a figure for that year, Kensington and Chelsea district had the 6th highest rate (the street-level ranking above is among the 302 districts with street-level pages on this site, over the 12 months to August 2026).

Of the crimes recorded in the Metropolitan Police area in the year ending March 2026, 5.5% were not assigned to a district. Those crimes are counted in the force and England and Wales totals but in no district, so the figure for Kensington and Chelsea district is an undercount.

No change on the year or longer series is given for Kensington and Chelsea district: comparable figures start in the year ending March 2026, because the share of crimes in the Metropolitan Police area not assigned to a district moved from 4.3% in the year ending March 2025 to 5.5% in the year ending March 2026, which changes district totals without any change in crime.

Offences recorded in Kensington and Chelsea district, the year ending March 2026

The largest category was shoplifting, with 3,235 offences (15% of the total). Relative to England and Wales, rates were highest for theft from the person (7.3 times the national rate), robbery of personal property (3.3 times the national rate) and other theft offences (3.0 times the national rate). Rates were lowest relative to the national rate for arson (0.40 times) and miscellaneous crimes against society (0.52 times).

Districts in the Metropolitan Police area, the year ending March 2026

Of the 32 districts in the Metropolitan Police area with a figure for the year ending March 2026, Kensington and Chelsea district had the 3rd highest rate.

Source: Home Office police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables (released 23 July 2026), gov.uk, Open Government Licence v3.0. Financial years, excluding fraud; how they differ from the street-level figures: methodology.

4 of the 8 nearest districts have a higher crime rate than Kensington and Chelsea district; the highest is City of London (639.5 per 1,000) and the lowest Wandsworth district (98.4).

Of the 19 areas within Kensington and Chelsea district, Brompton & Hans Town had the highest crime rate (272.4 per 1,000) and Holland the lowest (88.7), 3 times apart.

The 10 locations below account for 20% of the crime recorded in Kensington and Chelsea district over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Supermarket” (1,756).

Of the 20,063 crimes in Kensington and Chelsea district with a recorded outcome, 55% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 3.4% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 4,924 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.

Kensington and Chelsea district has an estimated population of 144,518 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has more households without a car (58%, against 23%), more private renting (40%, against 20%) and more residents with Level 4 qualifications or above (60%, against 34%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up Kensington and Chelsea district average decile 5.4 (1 = most deprived), close to the middle.

Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.