Number of knife crime offences in London 2015-2021

The number of knife or sharp instrument offences recorded by the police in London fell to approximately 10.15 thousand in 2020/21, the fewest number of knife crimes in a reporting year since 2015/16, when there were 9.75 thousand offences. By contrast, in 2019/20 the number of knife crime offences recorded in London reached over 15.9 thousand, an increase of over six thousand offences compared with 2015/16.

A wider trend

The increase in knife crime witnessed in London has occurred alongside a general increase in overall knife crime throughout England and Wales. While there are certainly multiple reasons for this disturbing trend, both police funding and officer numbers are important factors.

Acid and moped attacks

While knife crime in London has certainly been given a lot of attention by the British media, the increase in acid and moped attacks during the same time period have also generated many headlines. In 2017 for example there were 465 acid attacks recorded by the Metropolitan Police, compared with just 77 in 2012. Moped crime has seen a decrease when compared to acid attacks, rising from just over 9 thousand offences in 2016 to just 6.74 thousand in 2019.