Old Malden in Kingston has officially become the ward with the lowest reported number of thefts, burglaries and robberies across all of London by the end of 2025, out of more than 625 wards across the capital. 

MET reports show the ward ranked among the top three safest across all of London for all types of crime earlier in the year, before taking the top spot for theft and burglary by the year's end.

The Met has ranked Old Malden as London's safest ward for thefts, burglaries, and robberies ( Credit: The Met)

A proactive approach

The change follows sustained effort from Councillors Mike Massimi and Elizabeth Park, who have raised over 1,100 cases with the council in the past four years on issues ranging from fixing streetlights and improving walkways to removing abandoned vehicles and clearing fly-tipping.

This visible attention to detail has helped create an environment where crime struggles to take hold.

Councillors Mike Massimi and Elizabeth Park have helped organise regular walks with Met officers in Old Malden (Credit: Tilly O'Brien)

Residents have praised their responsiveness and tenacity in addressing local concerns. Regular ward walks with Met officers have helped identify problems early, while the ward now has Kingston's highest uptake of the MET Engage portal.

Emergency preparedness

One of the most visible changes has been in emergency preparedness. Three years ago, Old Malden had no 24/7 public access defibrillators.

Cllr Massimi has since funded more than ten AED units from his councillor grant, strategically placed so no resident lives more than eight minutes from a defibrillator and bleed control kit.

Old Malden now has one of the highest proportions of AEDs and bleed control kits in London (Credit: Tilly O'Brien)

He maintains the units personally, with monitoring support from The Circuit National Defibrillator Network.

The ward now has one of the highest proportions of AEDs and bleed control kits in London. Over 230 residents have received free CPR and AED training through St John Ambulance, with two more units planned for 2026.

Roads and school safety

Old Malden stands out as unusually driver friendly. It is the only London ward with no parking permits, no paid parking on public roads, and sits entirely outside the ULEZ zone (Credit: Tilly O'Brien)

Old Malden stands out as unusually driver friendly. It is the only London ward with no parking permits, no paid parking on public roads, and sits entirely outside the ULEZ zone.

The AA and Pothole Partnership have taken notice of Cllr Massimi's work with the RBK Highways team on proactive road maintenance and are examining Old Malden as a case study on best practice as part of their National Pothole Day on 15 January.

With over 1,700 pupils attending the ward's schools daily, many from neighbouring areas, safe routes to school and secure by design principles have been priorities in recent planning.

What's next

Councillors Mike Massimi and Elizabeth Park with Met officers (Credit: Tilly O'Brien)

According to Cllr Massimi, work continues on the final two roads requiring maintenance, while discussions are ongoing with local shop and business owners about improvements to the Malden Manor shop parade.

He said: "A longer term ambition is securing step-free access at Malden Manor station through a lift designed to complement the building's Art Deco character."

Based on Metropolitan Police Service Connect data for offences of burglaries, thefts, and robberies across all London wards, Old Malden ranked the lowest in both the ratio per 1,000 inhabitants and the total number of reported crimes in these categories.

Kingston ward Berrylands came in second place in the Met's rankings with Motspur Park and Old Malden East following in third place.

Old Malden was also ranked among the top three safest wards in London between February and July 2025.