Number of homicides in London 2010-2020
The 122 murders recorded by the London Metropolitan Police in 2019/20 occurred following an 18 percent increase from the previous year, when there were 122 murders reported. Although this as still fewer than the 163 recorded in 2017/18, it was far higher than in any year between 2011/12 and 2016/17, when the number of murders never exceeded 103 and was as low as 93 in 2014/15. In the last five years, the worst quarter for murders was the second quarter of 2017, when there were 51 murders, followed by the first quarter of 2018 when there were 46.
A national problem
With a homicide rate of 18.4 per million people the London has second worst homicide rate in England and Wales, while the North West of England is only slightly higher at 18.7. When looking at the numbers of homicides across the entire country, a similar pattern to London emerges. Between 2011/12 the number of homicides remained at a relatively low level before increasing sharply in 2016/17, reaching a ten-year high of 736 in 2017/18.
Knives the weapon of choice
In 2017/18, 263 of the 736 homicides in England and Wales involved a knife or other sharp instrument (978830). 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 9.7 thousand in 2015/16 to over 14.7 thousand by 2017/18.
A national problem
With a homicide rate of 18.4 per million people the London has second worst homicide rate in England and Wales, while the North West of England is only slightly higher at 18.7. When looking at the numbers of homicides across the entire country, a similar pattern to London emerges. Between 2011/12 the number of homicides remained at a relatively low level before increasing sharply in 2016/17, reaching a ten-year high of 736 in 2017/18.
Knives the weapon of choice
In 2017/18, 263 of the 736 homicides in England and Wales involved a knife or other sharp instrument (978830). 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 9.7 thousand in 2015/16 to over 14.7 thousand by 2017/18.
