Crime in Tonbridge and Malling: statistics, rates and trends
9,281 crimes were recorded in Tonbridge and Malling in the 12 months to August 2026, 67.8 per 1,000 residents. That is lower than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and up 3% on the year before.
Table of Contents
- Crime map
- Crime in Tonbridge and Malling at a glance
- Crime trends in Tonbridge and Malling
- Types of crime in Tonbridge and Malling
- Tonbridge and Malling compared with nearby districts
- Areas within Tonbridge and Malling
- Streets with the most crime in Tonbridge and Malling
- What happened after crimes were reported in Tonbridge and Malling
- Demographics of Tonbridge and Malling
- Fly-tipping in Tonbridge and Malling
- Questions about crime in Tonbridge and Malling
- About this data
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (2,948), anti-social behaviour (2,242) and criminal damage and arson (944) made up 66% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 228th of the 302 districts covered by this site (1 = highest), in the lowest quarter.
| Measure | Tonbridge and Malling | Kent | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 9,281 | 145,778 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 67.8 | 88.9 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | +3% | -2% | -1% |
| Population | 136,853 | 1,639,029 | 58,127,638 |
Recorded crime in Tonbridge and Malling peaked in the year to August 2018 (11,282 crimes) and was lowest in the year to August 2025 (9,027). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it fell 18%, while across England and Wales it fell 4%.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 9,281 | 67.8 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 9,027 | 66.0 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 9,601 | 70.2 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 10,465 | 76.5 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 10,236 | 74.8 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 10,292 | 75.2 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 11,166 | 81.6 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 10,366 | 75.7 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 11,282 | 82.4 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 917 |
| July 2026 | 827 |
| June 2026 | 808 |
| May 2026 | 756 |
| April 2026 | 792 |
| March 2026 | 848 |
| February 2026 | 677 |
| January 2026 | 706 |
| December 2025 | 796 |
| November 2025 | 714 |
| October 2025 | 744 |
| September 2025 | 696 |
No category with at least 20 crimes was notably above the England and Wales rate, and bicycle theft (73% below) and public order (65% below) were well below it. On the year before, robbery rose from 39 to 73 and anti-social behaviour rose from 1,546 to 2,242, while bicycle theft fell from 44 to 31 and other crime fell from 283 to 231.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 2,948 | 21.5 | 34.2 | -7% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 2,242 | 16.4 | 15.4 | +45% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 944 | 6.9 | 6.7 | -6% |
| Shoplifting | 752 | 5.5 | 8.5 | -5% |
| Other theft | 635 | 4.6 | 6.4 | +3% |
| Vehicle crime | 495 | 3.6 | 5.0 | -5% |
| Public order | 323 | 2.4 | 6.7 | -10% |
| Drugs | 283 | 2.1 | 3.3 | -10% |
| Burglary | 234 | 1.7 | 3.6 | -2% |
| Other crime | 231 | 1.7 | 2.1 | -18% |
| Robbery | 73 | 0.5 | 1.4 | +87% |
| Possession of weapons | 71 | 0.5 | 1.0 | -13% |
| Bicycle theft | 31 | 0.2 | 0.8 | -30% |
| Theft from the person | 19 | 0.1 | 1.7 | n/a |
What each category covers: crime categories.
6 of the 8 nearest districts have a higher crime rate than Tonbridge and Malling; the highest is Dartford district (107.0 per 1,000) and the lowest Sevenoaks district (62.7).
Of the 35 areas within Tonbridge and Malling, Snodland East & Ham Hill had the highest crime rate (147.6 per 1,000) and Ightham the lowest (29.7), 5 times apart.
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snodland East & Ham Hill | Neighbourhood | 4,451 | 657 | 147.6 |
| Judd | Neighbourhood | 7,283 | 890 | 122.2 |
| Peters Village | Town | 2,134 | 222 | 104.0 |
| Snodland | Town | 12,239 | 1,211 | 98.9 |
| Wrotham | Town | 1,981 | 182 | 91.9 |
| Vauxhall | Neighbourhood | 9,480 | 824 | 86.9 |
| West Malling | Town | 3,491 | 289 | 82.8 |
| Aylesford South & Ditton | Neighbourhood | 9,761 | 804 | 82.4 |
| Tonbridge | Town | 38,327 | 3,064 | 79.9 |
| East Malling, West Malling & Offham | Neighbourhood | 9,073 | 705 | 77.7 |
| Trench | Neighbourhood | 6,737 | 513 | 76.1 |
| Larkfield | Neighbourhood | 8,474 | 619 | 73.0 |
| Cage Green & Angel | Neighbourhood | 8,744 | 637 | 72.8 |
| Snodland West & Holborough Lakes | Neighbourhood | 7,788 | 554 | 71.1 |
| Blue Bell Hill | Town | 1,352 | 96 | 71.0 |
| Larkfield | Town | 29,146 | 2,052 | 70.4 |
| Aylesford North & North Downs | Neighbourhood | 10,357 | 713 | 68.8 |
| East Peckham | Town | 3,865 | 253 | 65.5 |
| East and West Peckham, Mereworth & Wateringbury | Neighbourhood | 6,938 | 378 | 54.5 |
| Pilgrims with Ightham | Neighbourhood | 6,469 | 345 | 53.3 |
| Eccles (Tonbridge and Malling) | Town | 1,690 | 86 | 50.9 |
| Kings Hill | Town | 10,057 | 494 | 49.1 |
| Borough Green | Town | 6,259 | 269 | 43.0 |
| Borough Green & Platt | Neighbourhood | 6,259 | 269 | 43.0 |
| Hadlow | Town | 3,306 | 141 | 42.6 |
| Bourne | Neighbourhood | 4,915 | 196 | 39.9 |
| Hildenborough | Neighbourhood | 5,024 | 182 | 36.2 |
| Walderslade | Neighbourhood | 2,749 | 98 | 35.6 |
| Ryarsh | Town | 1,808 | 64 | 35.4 |
| Plaxtol | Town | 1,609 | 55 | 34.2 |
| Higham | Neighbourhood | 6,083 | 200 | 32.9 |
| Birling, Leybourne & Ryarsh | Neighbourhood | 6,211 | 203 | 32.7 |
| Wateringbury | Town | 1,968 | 63 | 32.0 |
| Hildenborough | Town | 3,230 | 99 | 30.7 |
| Ightham | Town | 2,017 | 60 | 29.7 |
The 10 locations below account for 21% of the crime recorded in Tonbridge and Malling over the 12 months to August 2026; the most were recorded at “Parking Area” (550).
| Location | Crimes |
|---|---|
| On or near Parking Area | 550 |
| On or near Supermarket | 370 |
| On or near Petrol Station | 190 |
| On or near Police Station | 179 |
| On or near High Street | 126 |
| On or near London Road East | 126 |
| On or near Stevens Close | 118 |
| On or near Ostlers Court | 117 |
| On or near Sports/Recreation Area | 108 |
| On or near Botany | 95 |
Of the 7,039 crimes in Tonbridge and Malling with a recorded outcome, 40% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 6.2% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 2,242 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 2,787 | 39.6% | 35.3% |
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 2,396 | 34.0% | 34.5% |
| Under investigation | 582 | 8.3% | 11.5% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 434 | 6.2% | 5.2% |
| Court result unavailable | 205 | 2.9% | 2.5% |
| Local resolution | 203 | 2.9% | 3.1% |
| Status update unavailable | 195 | 2.8% | 4.7% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 125 | 1.8% | 1.3% |
| Offender given a caution | 43 | 0.6% | 0.6% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 38 | 0.5% | 0.3% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 22 | 0.3% | 0.5% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 8 | 0.1% | 0.3% |
Tonbridge and Malling has an estimated population of 136,853 (ONS, mid-2024). Compared with England and Wales it has fewer households without a car (12%, against 23%), less private renting (13%, against 20%) and fewer students (5.4%, against 7.9%). On the England IoD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up Tonbridge and Malling average decile 7.2 (1 = most deprived), less deprived than average.
| Measure | Tonbridge and Malling | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 19.9% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 19.4% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 61.1% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 2.4% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 22.9% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 5.4% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 32.5% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 15.5% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 12.3% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 72.1% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 15.4% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 12.5% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 7.2 | 5.5 (England) |
1,039 fly-tipping incidents were recorded in Tonbridge and Malling in 2024/25 (7.6 per 1,000 residents, against 21.1 across the councils in England that count all incidents), according to the council's return to Defra. Fly-tipping is not in the police figures on this page: fly-tipping in Tonbridge and Malling has the council's figures by place, type of waste and size, and its enforcement actions and fines.
Is Tonbridge and Malling a safe place to live?
Tonbridge and Malling recorded 67.8 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, lower than the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 228th of the 302 districts on this site by crime rate (1 = highest).
What is the most common crime in Tonbridge and Malling?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 2,948 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (2,242).
Is crime in Tonbridge and Malling going up or down?
Recorded crime in Tonbridge and Malling was up 3% on the year before: 9,281 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 9,027 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of Tonbridge and Malling?
About 136,853 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 19% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Which police force covers Tonbridge and Malling?
Tonbridge and Malling is policed by Kent.
Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.