The crime rate in London was 106.4 crime offences per thousand people for the 2024/25 reporting year, compared with 105.8 in the previous year. Between 2015/16 and 2019/20, the crime rate in the UK capital increased in every reporting year. The sudden drop in 2019/20 was due to the COVID-19 pandemic causing a sharp reduction in certain types of crime, such as robbery and theft. Crime patterns in the capital Overall there were 951,803 crimes reported by the police in London in 2024/25, compared with 938,020 in the previous reporting year. Types of crime that have increased recently include violent crimes, shoplifting, and theft from the person offences. One positive is that the number of homicide offences in London has fallen to much lower levels than seen in the late 2010s. Additionally, the Metropolitan Police force area has a lower crime rate than many of the UK's other major police forces, such as West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, and South Yorkshire. Police recruitment drive ends era of cuts  The rise in crime in London happened alongside a decline in both personnel and funding for the London Metropolitan Police. Compared with 2010 for example, there were around 3,000 fewer police officers in 2018, while annual funding was reduced to around 3.3 billion pounds between 2013/14 and 2018/19, compared with 3.62 billion in 2012/13. These cuts were due to the policy of austerity that was implemented by the UK government during that time period, but this has recently been replaced by pledges to increase spending and to recruit more police. In 2024/25, the budget for the Metropolitan Police was over five billion pounds, while the number of officers in 2024 increased to around 35,310.

There were ******* violent crime offences recorded by the Metropolitan Police and City of London Police Forces in London in 2024/25, a decrease when compared with the previous reporting year. From a low of ******* violent crimes in 2015/16, violent crime has increased almost every year. This reflects a pattern of increasing violent crime replicated across England and Wales as a whole, with a peak of *** million offences reported in 2022/23. Overall offences also rising The overall crime figures for London also show a trend of increasing crime in the UK capital. In 2015/16 for example, there were ******* crimes recorded in London, compared to ******* in 2024/25. This follows a similar pattern seen in England and Wales, which has witnessed an uptick in crime after reaching historic lows in the mid-2010s. In 2013/14 for example, there were approximately ** crimes per 100,000 people in England and Wales, compared with *****in 2024/25. By contrast, in Scotland, and in Northern Ireland, crimes rates have remained broadly similar to the mid-2010s. Police budgets rising again Due to the austerity policies enacted by UK governments in the 2010s, the amount the UK government spent on the police was effectively frozen between 2013/14 and 2016/17. This policy has since been reversed, with the overall UK police budget reaching **** billion pounds in 2024/25, compared with 16.4 billion in 2016/17. The amount budgeted for the Metropolitan Police by the Mayor of London for 2025/26 was **** billion British pounds, a significant increase on the **** billion budgeted in 2018/19, but slightly lower than in 2024/25.

There were 951,803 crimes recorded in London in the 2024/25 reporting year, compared with 938,020 in the previous year. During this time period, crime in London increased steadily, with the figure of 912,487 in 2019/20 a pre-pandemic peak when there were approximately 102.4 crimes per 1,000 people taking place in the UK capital, compared with 106.4 crimes per 1,000 people in the most recent year. What types of crime are rising? Compared with crime levels before the COVID-19 pandemic, some types of crime have yet to reach the same levels they were at in the 2019/20 reporting year. The number of criminal offences related to theft and drugs, are slightly down in 2023/24 when compared with pre-pandemic trends. On the other hand, the number of violent crimes reached a peak of 252,545 offences in 2023/24, while the number of sexual offences in London since 2021/22 has been far higher than in previous years. London compared to the rest of UK While the UK capital receives extensive coverage for its crime problems, the increase in crime there is part of a wider trend afflicting the rest of the country. The overall crime rate for England and Wales in 2023/24 was 89.7 crimes per 1,000 people, slightly lower than in 2022/23, when the crime rate was the highest since 2006/07. Additionally the Metropolitan Police, the police service responsible for policing Greater London had the sixth-highest crime rate among police force areas with Cleveland police force in North East England having the highest.

Police recorded crime figures by Police Force Area and Community Safety Partnership areas (which equate in the majority of instances, to local authorities).

In 2023/24 the Metropolitan Police of London and the City of London police performed 139,482 stop and searches, a decrease when compared with the previous year. Before 2018/19, the use of this particular police power was declining, with stop and searches falling from 365,589 in 2012/13 to 135,850 in 2017/18.

Recorded crime figures for CSP areas. Number of offences for the last two years, percentage change, and rates per 1,000 population for the latest year.

There were 104 homicides recorded by the police in London in the 2024/25 reporting year, compared with 116 in 2023/24. Prior to the most recent year, 2017/18 had the most homicides in London at 159, with the fewest occurring in 2016/17, when there were 107. Comparisons with the rest of the UK With a homicide rate of 11.6 per million people, London had the highest homicide rate among UK regions in 2024/25. On a more localized level, the Metropolitan Police of Greater London reported a lower homicide rate than other police force areas that cover major cities, such as Merseyside, while the highest homicide rate among UK police forces was in Lincolnshire, in the East Midlands. Across England and Wales as a whole, there were 535 homicides in 2024/25, compared with 567 in the previous year. Knives the most common weapon used In 2023/24 there were 262 homicides in England and Wales involving a knife or other sharp instrument. As a comparison, there were just 22 homicides caused by a firearm in the same reporting year. While guns are generally difficult to obtain in the United Kingdom, knives are far more prevalent and have become a major problem for the police, particularly in London. The number of knife crime offences in London rose from 9,752 in 2015/16 to 16,344 in 2024/25.

With approximately 122.1 crimes per 1,000 population, Cleveland, in North East England, had the highest crime rate of all the police force areas in England and Wales in 2024/25. High crime rates are evident in other areas of northern England, such as West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester at 114.5 and 108.2, respectively. In the UK capital, London, the crime rate was 105.5 per 1,000 people. The lowest crime rate in England was in the relatively rural areas of Wiltshire in South West England, as well as North Yorkshire. Overall crime in England and Wales The number of crimes in England and Wales reached approximately 6.74 million in 2022/23, falling slightly to 6.66 million in 2023/24, and 6.59 million in 2024/25. Overall crime has been rising steadily across England and Wales for almost a decade, even when adjusted for population rises. In 2022/23, for example, the crime rate in England and Wales was 93.6, the highest since 2006/07. When compared with the rest of the United Kingdom, England and Wales is something of an outlier, as crime rates for Scotland and Northern Ireland have not followed the same trajectory of rising crime. Additionally, there has been a sharp increase in violent crimes and sexual offences since the mid-2010s in England and Wales. While theft offences have generally been falling, the number of shoplifting offences reached a peak of 530,640 in 2024/25. Troubled justice system under pressure Alongside rising crime figures, many indicators also signal that the justice system is getting pushed to breaking point. The percentage of crimes that are solved in England and Wales was just 5.7 percent in 2023, with sexual offences having a clearance rate of just 3.6 percent. Crimes are also taking far longer than usual to pass through the justice system. In 2022, it took an average of 407 days for a crown court case to reach a conclusion from the time of the offence, compared with 233 days in 2018. This is most likely related to the large backlog of cases in crown courts, which reached over 67,750 in 2023. Furthermore, prisons in England and Wales are dangerously overcrowded, with the government even releasing some prisoners early to address the issue.

Number and rate (per 100,000 population) of homicide victims, Canada and Census Metropolitan Areas, 1981 to 2024.

The GLA conducted a representative survey of Londoners to understand attitudes towards violent crime. The survey was carried out by YouGov for the GLA between 23rd – 28th July 2021, with a response of 1,123 London residents aged 18+. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all London adults (aged 18+). Some figures have been compared against a previous survey carried out by YouGov for the GLA between 30th July – 2nd August 2018, with a response of 1,191 London residents aged 18+.

Raw data on crime supplied by the Metropolitan Police Service and the Mayors Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC). Pan-London data includes: - Total Notifiable Offences - Total Victim-based crime (and Sanctioned Detection Rates) - Violence against the Person - Violence with injury (VWI) (and SDR) - Serious Youth Violence - Female victims of robbery & Violence with Injury - Rape - Knife Crime (and SDR) - Knife Crime with Injury - Gun Crime (and SDR) - Gun Crime with firearm discharged - Gang violence indicator - Dog Attacks (and SDR) - Homicide - Sexual Offences - Burglary (all) - Burglary (residential) - Robbery (all) - Theft & Handling - Theft from Person - Theft of Motor Vehicle - Theft from Motor Vehicle - Criminal Damage - Domestic Offences - Homophobic Hate Victims - Racist & Religious Hate Victims - Faith Hate Victims - Disability Hate Victims - Stop & Search Totals (and related Arrest rate) - Police Strengths - Officer/Sergeant/Staff/Special Constable/PCSO - Satisfaction/Confidence in the Metropolitan Police Service (ease of contact/satisfaction with action taken/well-informed/fairly treated/overall satisfaction/overall confidence) NB. Quarterly data - Crime-related calls to Police by category - Anti-Social Behaviour-related calls to Police by category Borough data includes: - Fear of crime ("to what extent are you worried about crime in this area?") NB. Quarterly data NB. Action Fraud have taken over the recording of fraud offences nationally on behalf of individual police forces. This process began in April 2011 and was rolled out to all police forces by March 2013. Data for Greater London is available from Action Fraud here .

In 2024/25, London had the highest homicide rate of any region of the United Kingdom, at **** homicides per million people, followed by the East Midlands at **** homicides per million people. Scotland had a homicide rate of **** homicides per million people in the 2023/24 reporting year. On a more local level, and when just looking at England and Wales, London's homicide rate was however below that of four other police force areas during this time period. Are homicides declining in the UK? When compared with the early 2000s, there are far fewer homicides across the UK. In England and Wales, the number of homicides has fallen from ***** in 2002/03, to *** in 2024/25. In Scotland, homicides fell from *** to ** in the same time period, while in Northern Ireland, there were ** homicides in 2023/24, compared with ** in 2002/23. This decline was not consistent, however, with a noticeable uptick in homicides towards the end of the 2010s, particulary in England and Wales. As whole though, homicide rates across all three legal jurisdictions in the UK are far lower than twenty years earlier. Types of crimes rising in 2025 Although homicides have fallen to relatively low levels in 2024/25, overall crime remains quite high. Types of crime that have increased substantially since the COVID-19 pandemic in particular include shoplifting which reached a peak of ******* offences in England and Wales in 2024/25. Although overall thefts have fallen, theft from the person offences (such as pickpocketing or snatching of property) reached a high of ******* offences in the same reporting year. Sexual offences also peaked in 2024/25, reaching ******* offences, compared with ****** in 2012/13.

Total Notifiable Offence (TNO) data follows the Home Office counting rules for recorded crime (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/counting-rules-for-recorded-crime ). NB This data-set includes “Other Accepted Crime”, which are non-notifiable crimes and must be excluded when calculating a TNO total.

Source: Metropolitan Police Service via London Datastore Original data: https://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/mps-monthly-crime-dahboard-data/ License: UK Open Government Licence v3.0 (https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/)

There has been little research on United States homicide rates from a long-term perspective, primarily because there has been no consistent data series on a particular place preceding the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR), which began its first full year in 1931. To fill this research gap, this project created a data series on homicides per capita for New York City that spans two centuries. The goal was to create a site-specific, individual-based data series that could be used to examine major social shifts related to homicide, such as mass immigration, urban growth, war, demographic changes, and changes in laws. Data were also gathered on various other sites, particularly in England, to allow for comparisons on important issues, such as the post-World War II wave of violence. The basic approach to the data collection was to obtain the best possible estimate of annual counts and the most complete information on individual homicides. The annual count data (Parts 1 and 3) were derived from multiple sources, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reports and Supplementary Homicide Reports, as well as other official counts from the New York City Police Department and the City Inspector in the early 19th century. The data include a combined count of murder and manslaughter because charge bargaining often blurs this legal distinction. The individual-level data (Part 2) were drawn from coroners' indictments held by the New York City Municipal Archives, and from daily newspapers. Duplication was avoided by keeping a record for each victim. The estimation technique known as "capture-recapture" was used to estimate homicides not listed in either source. Part 1 variables include counts of New York City homicides, arrests, and convictions, as well as the homicide rate, race or ethnicity and gender of victims, type of weapon used, and source of data. Part 2 includes the date of the murder, the age, sex, and race of the offender and victim, and whether the case led to an arrest, trial, conviction, execution, or pardon. Part 3 contains annual homicide counts and rates for various comparison sites including Liverpool, London, Kent, Canada, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Seattle, and San Francisco.

Data tables relating to offences involving weapons as recorded by police and hospital episode statistics.

As part of the quarterly release of Crime data and trends by the Office for National Statistics, data is released aggregated at police force level for the most recent rolling 12 months. The below interactive infographic allows you to click through the key crime indicators assessed to see how London (the Metropolitan Police Service) is performing compared to the rest of the country (using the same data from 12 months previously). Also included are the key performing London boroughs in each indicator during the period covered.

This data counts the number of crimes at three different geographic levels of London (borough, ward, LSOA) per month, according to crime type.

Data is available in two files for each level of geography - the most up to date data covering the last available 24 months only and one covering all historic full calendar years.

In March 2019, the Metropolitan Police Service started to provide offences grouped by the updated Home Office crime classifications . This currently only covers the most recent 24 months of data, but historic data using the previous categories is available separately back to January 2008.

Below is a list of the crime types covered under the new HO categories (*not available at LSOA level):

Major Category: Minor Category

Arson and Criminal Damage - Arson / Criminal Damage

Burglary: Burglary - Business and Community / Burglary - Residential*

Drug Offences: Drug Trafficking / Possession of Drugs

Miscellaneous Crimes Against Society: Absconding from Lawful Custody / Bail Offences / Bigamy / Concealing an Infant Death Close to Birth / Dangerous Driving / Disclosure, Obstruction, False or Misleading State / Exploitation of Prostitution / Forgery or Use of Drug Prescription / Fraud or Forgery Associated with Driver Records / Going Equipped for Stealing / Handling Stolen Goods / Making, Supplying or Possessing Articles for use i / Obscene Publications / Offender Management Act / Other Forgery / Other Notifiable Offences / Perjury / Perverting Course of Justice / Possession of False Documents / Profitting From or Concealing Proceeds of Crime / Soliciting for Prostitution / Threat or Possession With Intent to Commit Crimina / Wildlife Crime

Possession of Weapons: Other Firearm Offences / Possession of Firearm with Intent / Possession of Firearms Offences / Possession of Other Weapon / Possession of Article with Blade or Point

Public Order Offences: Other Offences Against the State, or Public Order / Public Fear Alarm or Distress / Racially or Religiously Aggravated Public Fear / Violent Disorder

Robbery: Robbery of Business Property / Robbery of Personal Property

Sexual Offences*: Rape, Other Sexual Offences

Theft: Bicycle Theft / Other Theft / Shoplifting / Theft from Person

Vehicle Offences: Aggravated Vehicle Taking / Interfering with a Motor Vehicle / Theft from a Motor Vehicle / Theft or Taking of a Motor Vehicle

Violence Against the Person: Homicide / Violence with Injury / Violence without Injury

To note:

Fraud data was transferred from individual police forces to National Action Fraud in March 2013

*Prior to April 2017, police recorded burglary offence categories were split such that dwellings (domestic burglary) and buildings other than dwellings (non-domestic burglary) were separately identifiable, where:

• domestic burglary covers residential premises, including attached buildings such as garages
• non-domestic burglary covers non-residential premises, including businesses and public buildings, as well as non-attached buildings within the grounds of a dwelling, such as sheds and detached garages

From April 2017 onwards a new classification of police recorded burglary was introduced, dividing offences into two categories of “residential” and “business and community”.

“Residential” burglary includes all buildings or parts of buildings that are within the boundary of, or form a part of, a dwelling and includes the dwelling itself, vacant dwellings, sheds, garages, outhouses, summer houses and any other structure that meets the definition of a building. It also includes other premises used for residential purposes such as houseboats, residential care homes and hostels.

“Business and community” burglary includes all buildings or parts of buildings that are used solely and exclusively for business purposes or are otherwise entirely outside the classification of residential burglary.

**As per data protection laws, Sexual Offences are not provided at the LSOA level.

NB Data uploaded to this area after February 2024 is sourced from the CONNECT system. Some measures\details previously provided may not be available in total or in part. Please take care when comparing data-sets posted after February 2024 with those posted prior.

Please note that there is a level of detail that cannot be translated between legacy system a