Violence crackdown drives London’s homicide rate to record low

The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) said homicides are now at their lowest in 11 years with the force arresting an additional 1,000 offenders each month, harnessing technologies such as facial recognition, and delivering a targeted crackdown on the most dangerous gangs, organised criminals, and predatory men who prey on women and children.

London’s approach has also been bolstered by the Mayor of London’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), which is tackling the causes of crime through prevention and early intervention.

The figures released on Monday (January 12) show there were 97 homicides in 2025, an 11 per cent reduction on 2024 (109) – this represents the lowest total since 2014, with London’s population having risen by more than half a million since then, said the MPS.

In the same period, violent incidents resulting in injury fell by a fifth, while firearms discharges were less than half what they were seven years ago.

This milestone comes despite London’s population growing significantly over the past decade, making the capital safer than ever, the force said.

The MPS said its work to tackle homicide has also delivered “exceptional justice outcomes”. In 2025, 95 per cent of homicide investigations resulted in a positive outcome, and London’s homicide rate now stands at 1.1 per 100,000 people. This makes the homicide rate lower than any other UK city and below many comparable global cities, including New York (2.8), Berlin (3.2), Milan (1.6) and Toronto (1.6).

It is also significantly lower than rates seen in major US cities such as Los Angeles (5.6), Houston (10.5), Chicago (11.7) and Philadelphia (12.3).

Progress has been particularly strong in reducing serious violence involving young people. Teenage homicide has fallen to its joint lowest level in almost three decades – matching the record set in 2012. In 2025, there were just eight teenage victims, a 73 per cent reduction since 2021, with teenagers accounting for only 8.3 per cent of all homicides in London.

Last year, London also recorded the fewest number of homicides of victims aged under-25s this century. A key part of this progress has been the Mayor’s VRU, which has delivered more than 550,000 targeted interventions to prevent young people being drawn into gangs and violence.

The VRU works in schools to tackle exclusions and absenteeism, funds after‑school diversionary activities, and places youth workers in police custody and A&E departments – preventing 80 per cent of under‑18s from reoffending within 12 months and helping more than three‑quarters of young people reduce their risk of harm.

Together with the MPS’s policing activity, this twin enforcement‑and‑prevention approach is “delivering real results”, the force said.

The number of homicides of young people in London when the VRU was set up in 2019 was three times higher than it is today, and hospital admissions of young people for knife assault fell by 43 per cent in the same period.

MPS Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley 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.”

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 VRU – 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.”