Overview
- Met data show 97 homicides in 2025, an 11% drop from 2024 and the lowest total since 2014, with a record 1.1 per 100,000 homicide rate below cities such as New York, Berlin and Paris.
- Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley credits arresting about 1,000 additional offenders each month, intelligence-led targeting of gangs and the use of live facial recognition to prevent and solve serious crime.
- NHS figures indicate a 29% five-year fall in London hospital admissions for stabbing or sharp-weapon injuries to 955, and the Met reports the fewest under‑25 homicide victims this century with teenage victims down to eight from 30 in 2021.
- Nationally, the Office for National Statistics recorded 518 homicides in England and Wales in the year to June 2025, a 6% decrease from the prior year.
- A recent vetting review found 131 Met officers and staff committed crimes or misconduct after inadequate checks during a recruitment drive, prompting tighter vetting as the force reports 81% local confidence.