London Homicides Hit Lowest Numbers In A Decade

Homicides in London have fallen to their lowest level in more than 10 years, according to new figures from the Metropolitan Police, even as concerns remain about other types of crime and trust in policing.

The Met recorded 97 homicides in 2025, an 11% drop from 2024 and the lowest number of recorded homicides since 2014. Once population growth is taken into account, it is also the lowest homicide rate the capital has ever seen, at 1.1 per 100,000 people. Police say that this data puts London below cities such as New York, Berlin and Paris.

Teenage homicides have also fallen sharply. Eight teenagers were killed last year, down from a peak of 30 in 2021 and the lowest figure since 2012. The Met says there are now fewer victims under the age of 25 than at any point this century.

Across England and Wales, the wider picture shows a similar trend. Office for National Statistics data recorded 518 homicides in the year to June 2025, down 6% from 2024 and well below pre-pandemic levels.

Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said the drop was down to focused policing and better use of data and technology, including live facial recognition. He said: “The results speak for themselves: fewer lives lost, fewer families shattered.” He added that police efforts were increasingly aimed at a small group of repeat offenders involved in gangs, weapons and serious violence.

Rowley acknowledged that many Londoners still do not feel safe, pointing to the impact of social media and what he described as increasingly polarised debate. He said that using hard data was one way to show that, overall, London is “relatively safe”.

City Hall has also highlighted the role of prevention. The Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), set up in 2019, has delivered hundreds of thousands of interventions aimed at keeping young people away from gangs and serious violence. Its director, Lib Peck, said progress was clear but warned against complacency, adding: “there is still a big job of work to do”.

Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan welcomed the figures, saying: “One homicide is one too many, one violent crime is one too many.” He said the latest data showed that long-term investment in policing and youth services was paying off, despite critics who, in his words, “hate London” because it is “diverse” and “progressive”.

The figures come after repeated claims by US President Donald Trump that crime in London is out of control. Sir Mark has previously dismissed those comments as “complete nonsense”, while Khan recently described London as “the greatest city in the world” and said: “Donald Trump is a bit jealous.”

However, the fall in homicide contrasts with rises in other crimes. Shoplifting has increased sharply since 2023, and phone theft has risen over the past five years, with only a small fraction of cases leading to charges. Khan said the Met is now putting more officers into hotspots such as the West End and using facial recognition to target prolific offenders.

Confidence in policing appears to be improving, with 81% of Londoners rating the Met as doing a good or fair job locally. But that comes alongside renewed scrutiny after a vetting review found 131 officers and staff committed crimes or serious misconduct after not being properly checked, including two serial rapists. The Met says vetting standards have since been tightened.

Sir Mark said the force was operating in a tough financial climate, with officer numbers expected to fall, but insisted progress would continue. “What we have to do is get sharper and more precise,” he said, arguing that removing the most dangerous people from the streets has the biggest impact on safety.