There were 252,545 violent crime offences recorded by the Metropolitan Police and City of London Police Forces in London in 2023/24 an increase when compared with the previous reporting year. From a low of 186,488 violent crimes in 2015/16, violent crime has increased in almost every year. This reflects a pattern of increasing violent crime replicated across England and Wales as a whole, with a peak of 2.1 million offences reported in 2022/23.
Overall offences also rising
The overall crime figures for London also show a trend of increasing crime in the UK capital. In 2015/16 for example, there were 743,728 crimes recorded in London, compared to 938,020 in 2023/24. This follows a similar pattern seen in the rest of the United Kingdom, which has witnessed an uptick in crime after reaching historic lows in the mid-2010s. In 2013/14 for example, there were approximately 62 crimes per 100,000 people in England and Wales, compared with 89.7 in 2023/24.
Police budgets rising again
Due to the austerity policies enacted by UK governments in the 2010s, the amount the UK government spent on the police was effectively frozen between 2013/14 and 2016/17. This policy has since been reversed, with the overall UK police budget reaching 25.3 billion pounds in 2022/23. The amount budgeted for the Metropolitan Police by the Mayor of London for 2023/24 was 4.53 billion British pounds, a significant increase on the 3.33 billion budgeted in 2018/19.
Number of police recorded violence against the person offences in London from 2015/16 to 2023/24
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Office for National Statistics (UK). (July 24, 2024). Number of police recorded violence against the person offences in London from 2015/16 to 2023/24 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 21, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/863276/violent-crime-in-london/
Office for National Statistics (UK). "Number of police recorded violence against the person offences in London from 2015/16 to 2023/24." Chart. July 24, 2024. Statista. Accessed December 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/863276/violent-crime-in-london/
Office for National Statistics (UK). (2024). Number of police recorded violence against the person offences in London from 2015/16 to 2023/24. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/863276/violent-crime-in-london/
Office for National Statistics (UK). "Number of Police Recorded Violence against The Person Offences in London from 2015/16 to 2023/24." Statista, Statista Inc., 24 Jul 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/863276/violent-crime-in-london/
Office for National Statistics (UK), Number of police recorded violence against the person offences in London from 2015/16 to 2023/24 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/863276/violent-crime-in-london/ (last visited December 21, 2024)
Number of police recorded violence against the person offences in London from 2015/16 to 2023/24 [Graph], Office for National Statistics (UK), July 24, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/863276/violent-crime-in-london/
