Annual crime data released by the Metropolitan Police has revealed that Kingston is again the safest borough in London.
In 2016-2017 there were 10,599 notifiable offences in Kingston, making it the lowest of all 32 London boroughs.
Compared with the previous year, the total number of offences in Kingston increased by 4.3%, but remained lower than the 4.6% average rise seen across the entire area covered by the Met.
The second safest borough is Sutton, with 11,011 notifiable offences last year, followed by Richmond with 11,771.
The increase in offences for Kingston is attributed to the improvements of crime recording for burglary, shop lifting and violent crime.
Kingston Borough Commander Chief Superintendent Anthony Enoch said: “Kingston has the lowest volume of crime of any borough in London, for the second year running, and I’m pleased to also add, the second highest detection rate.
“This I hope goes some way to reassuring our residents that Kingston is a very safe place to live, work and visit.”
The Safer Kingston Partnership also saw a 21% decrease in drug possession and a 44% reduction in gun crime in the borough.
While Kingston did see a 44% increase in knife crime, its knife crime rates are still among the lowest in London.
A recent survey by Kingston Council showed that 94% of respondents felt safe when outside in Kingston during the day, and 75% felt safe after dark, a rise of 10% from previous findings.
Kingston Council director of finance and chair of the Safer Kingston Partnership Leigh Whitehouse, said: “Our collective vision is that people who live, work and visit Kingston, should not only be safe, they should feel safe too.
“A particular focus for partners has been improving the safety and diversity of Kingston’s nighttime economy over that past year so it’s very encouraging to see people’s confidence increasing after dark.”
The renewal of Kingston’s Purple Flag status and the co-ordination of Kingston’s Pubwatch are among some of the initiatives led by the Safer Kingston Partnership to improve safety in the borough at night, as well as extra policing in the town centre.
