London has achieved its lowest homicide total since 2014, with 97 homicides in 2025, an 11% reduction on 2024 (109), despite the capital’s population growing by more than half a million over the past decade.
New figures highlight the success of the Metropolitan Police Service’s relentless crackdown on violent crime, which includes arresting an extra 1,000 offenders every month, dismantling gang networks, and deploying cutting-edge technology such as Live Facial Recognition.
Key achievements include:
- Violent incidents causing injury down by 20%
- Firearms discharges less than half of 2018 levels
- Homicide rate now 1.1 per 100,000 people, lower than any other UK city and major global cities including New York (2.8), Berlin (3.2) and Toronto (1.6)
The Met’s uncompromising approach combines enforcement and prevention, targeting the most dangerous criminals while safeguarding vulnerable people. The flagship V100 programme has revolutionised protection for women and girls by identifying and pursuing predatory men before harm occurs.
Sir Mark Rowley, Met Police Commissioner, said:
“I am privileged to lead such extraordinary people. Three years ago, I pledged that we would make London safer through more trust and less crime. London’s record‑low homicide rate is the result of relentless work: arresting 1,000 more offenders each month, using innovative technology such as live facial recognition to solve more crime, and taking precise action against the most dangerous gangs, organised criminals, and predatory men who target women and children.
“The results speak for themselves: fewer lives lost, fewer families shattered. Every murder is a tragedy, but we will continue to use every tool at our disposal to drive down serious violence. This work will not stop, and neither will our determination to keep Londoners safe.”
Teenage homicide has fallen to its joint lowest level in nearly 30 years, with just eight teenage victims in 2025, a 73% reduction since 2021. Hospital admissions for knife assaults among young people have dropped by 43% since the Mayor’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) was established in 2019.
The VRU has delivered over 550,000 interventions, tackling school exclusions, funding after-school activities, and placing youth workers in custody and A&E departments – preventing 80% of under-18s from reoffending within 12 months.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan added:
"Many people have been trying to talk London down, but the evidence tells a very different story. Last year London had the lowest murder rate per capita since records began, the fewest murders of those aged under 25 this century, and one of the lowest number of homicides for almost three decades.
“It's clear that our sustained focus on being both tough on crime and tough on the complex causes of crime is working. This includes investing in intervention and prevention work led by my Violence Reduction Unit - the first in England. At the same time, we’re supporting the Met by more than doubling City Hall’s investment in policing to help boost police numbers and relentlessly target the worst offenders and criminal gangs.
"But we are not complacent. One death will always be one too many. That's why I'll continue to do all I can to invest in the police and provide positive opportunities for young Londoners so that we can build on this significant progress and continue making London safer for everyone."
Image credit: iStock
