Kent Police provides policing services to the areas of Kent and Medway. The police force area covers 1,443 square miles with approximately 340 miles of coastline in the south east of England. Although there are some areas of deprivation, Kent is generally affluent. Around 1.8 million people mainly live in the urban centres which include the city of Canterbury as well as the towns of Maidstone, Gravesend, Ashford, Margate, Dartford and Folkestone. The resident population is increased by university students and the very large numbers who visit or travel through the county each year. The transport infrastructure also includes major rail stations, the channel tunnel, and major sea ports.
HMICFRS independently assesses police forces and policing across activity from neighbourhood teams to serious crime and the fight against terrorism – in the public interest.
In preparing our reports, we ask the questions which citizens would ask, and publish the answers in accessible form, using our expertise to interpret the evidence. We provide authoritative information to allow the public to compare the performance of their force against others, and our evidence is used to drive improvements in the service to the public.
Force Area |
1443 square miles | |
Population |
1.78m people | 11% local 10 yr change |
Workforce |
73% frontline | 78% national level |
| 3.1 per 1000 population | 3.6 national level | |
| 18% change in local workforce since 2010 | 15% national change since 2010 |
Victim-based crimes |
0.06 per person | 0.06 national level |
| Local 5 year trend | National 5 year trend (no change) |
Cost |
42p per person per day local | 55p per person per day national |
Matthew Scott
Chief Constable Alan Pughsley QPM, appointed January 2014
