New figures released by the Metropolitan Police show that London is one of the safest cities of its size in the world, with 35,000 fewer neighbourhood crimes in the past 12 months compared to the previous year, according to Mayor Sadiq Khan. The data covers burglaries, thefts, robberies, and vehicle crime offences.
Record police funding and technology investments
Khan attributed the decline to a record £1.26bn in funding for the capital's police force, more than double the amount under his predecessor. This funding has enabled investments in cutting-edge technology, including ebikes and drones to pursue phone snatchers, as well as boosted neighbourhood policing across communities.
In Westminster, where the number of police officers has been doubled and a new command cell introduced to crack down on phone theft and robbery, neighbourhood crime has fallen by 36%. In the West End, phone thefts are down by half.
Violence reduction unit success
Khan highlighted the impact of the violence reduction unit (VRU), set up in 2019, which has provided interventions and positive opportunities to prevent more than half a million young people from getting caught up in violence and exploitation. Since the VRU was established, hospital admissions of young people after knife assault have fallen by almost 50%.
Last year, London saw the fewest murders of those aged under 25 this century, and the capital's homicide rate has fallen to the lowest level in recorded history on a per capita basis. It is now lower than in Berlin, Brussels, Barcelona, Madrid, Milan, Paris, and every US state.
Combating disinformation
Khan acknowledged that social media narratives describing London as a dangerous city in decline have increased by between 150% and 200% in the past two years. He urged tourists to ignore the disinformation, stating that the real London is diverse, dynamic, and prosperous.
“The real London – the London that millions of us know and love – is not the dark dystopia you see on distorted social media feeds,” Khan wrote in an article. “This summer, we’re ready to welcome you with open arms.”
