Homicides in London have fallen to a decade low of 97 during the year just ended, a Metropolitan Police report revealed.
At a rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people, it’s lower than New York (2.8), Berlin (3.2) and Milan (1.6), according to the BBC. When measured in this way, it’s also the lowest homicide rate ever recorded in London.
Mayor Sadiq Khan and the Met Police Commissioner praised the results of a long-term effort to target criminal gangs and address climates that lead youth to commit violence.
“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,” said Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, who added that preventative work also contributed to the fall in the homicide rate.
In 2019, Mayor Khan legislated the organization of London’s Violence Reduction Unit, a team of specialists working to help prevent young people falling into a life of crime, and address the issues that lead to just that.
“When we were set up more than six years ago, London’s homicide rate of young people was three times higher than it is today,” said VRU Director Lib Pec, in a comment to the BBC.
Although admitting petty crime, robberies, shoplifting, and phone theft were all far too high, Mayor Khan highlighted the implementation of CCTV cameras and live facial recognition software having created a database of known thieves as a first step to addressing these problems.
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Additionally, the size of the police force in the West End, a particularly troubled part of the city, has been substantially increased.
“What we have to do is get sharper and more precise,” Sir Mark said. “That’s why we’re investing in data and technology, because it helps us find the most dangerous people, and if you get them off the streets it makes the biggest difference.”
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