In recent years the city of London has frequently been in the headlines of the British press due to a noticeable surge in crime, with police recorded
reaching 938,020 offences in 2023/24, compared with 743,728 in 2015/16. Much of this increase has been driven by a surge in violent crime, with the number of
in London rising to 252,545 offences in 2023/24. Additionally, there has been a steady rise in the number of
which peaked at 15,928 offences in 2019/20, and was at a post-pandemic high of 15,016 offences in 2023/24.
Wider pattern of increasing crime
The rise in crime from the mid-2010s onwards was not unique to London. Across England and Wales there was an uptick in
overall crime following years of decline. This includes
homicides, with 720 recorded in 2019/20 compared to 533 just a few years earlier in 2013/14. With a rate of 105.1 crimes per 1,000 people, the
crime rate for the Metropolitan Police was actually lower than that of several other police forces in 2023/24. Among
major metropolitan areas of England, London's crime rate was lower than many other large cities. Once it is put in perspective, it is clear that London’s recent surge in violent crime did not occur in isolation from the rest of England.
Why did crime rise, and is the trend reversing?
One of the main factors both the police and the press attribute the increasing crime figures to is the decline in the number of
police officers across England and Wales in the 2010s. London was no different in this regard, the Metropolitan Police and City of London Police had
fewer officers between 2011 and 2019 than they had in 2010. At the same time, the police in general were expected to operate with far less money than they had previously. Between 2013/14 and 2018/19 the
budget for the Mayor’s Office for Police and Crime in London (MOPAC) was noticeably lower than it was in 2012/13. From 2019/20 onwards, this budget has increased year-on-year, reaching 4.53 billion pounds for 2023/24, while a police recruitment drive has increased the number of officers. Controversial prevention methods such as
stop and search have also increased in recent years, despite the perception that people are targeted unfairly based on their
ethnic appearance.
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