London’s murder rate drops to lowest in over a decade

It's lower than New York and Berlin

The figures are the lowest since 2014, as only 97 homicides were recorded in 2025, according to the force.

At a rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people, it is lower than that of New York (2.8), Berlin (3.2) and Milan (1.6).

Once population is taken into account, the Met said that it is the lowest homicide figure in London on record.

Last year eight teenagers were killed, but teenage homicide has also dropped to the lowest level since 2012.

It hit record levels in 2021 when 30 young people lost their lives.

Lowest level of homicides in England and Wales since 2003

The latest crime figures for England and Wales also show a fall in the number of homicides to their lowest level since 2003, when the current methods of reporting began.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), in the year to June 2025, some 518 homicides were recorded by police.

This was a drop of 6% from 552 in the previous year and 27% below the pre-pandemic total of 710 in 2019-20.

While “every murder is a tragedy”, fewer families have been “shattered” by violence this year, according to Met Police Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley.

He said that the fall in homicide was a result of targeted police action against organised criminal gangs and greater use of technology including live facial recognition.

"It's the product of amazing police work as we attack with ever more precision the most dangerous men who carry weapons, who groom children into gangs, who prey on women," Sir Mark added.

The prevention work, including by London's Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) which was created by Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan in 2019, was also praised by the commissioner, who added that it had played an important part in turning around the lives of teenagers targeted by drug dealers.

Mayor Sadiq Khan said that many people “been trying to talk London down”, adding that “whether it's President Donald Trump, whether it's politicians concentrated in Europe, this country, or other parts of the world, I can understand why they hate London”.

Sir Sadiq Khan and US President Donald Trump have had a long-running spat, as Trump last year accused the mayor of doing a “terrible job” and said “crime in London is through the roof”.

Sir Sadiq described London as “the greatest city in the world” and added “Donald Trump is a bit jealous“, as he spoke on Radio 4’s Today programme.

The mayor acknowledged that some Londoners do feel that the city is “lawless“ due to issues such as phone thefts or shoplifting and blamed years of government cuts for stretched policing.