London’s 2025 homicide rate hits record low amid debate over crime claims

Data released on Monday showed that London’s homicide rate in 2025 fell to the lowest level since records began in 1997, with 97 people killed and a rate of 1.1 homicides per 100,000 — a figure the article says contradicts claims by President Trump and others that the city is dangerously crime-ridden.

The report noted that London’s rate is lower than those of Berlin, Paris and Toronto and below the homicide rate in nearly every large U.S. city listed by the FBI; New York recorded 305 homicides in 2025 (a rate of 3.6 per 100,000), Los Angeles nearly 6 and Chicago over 15. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley told The New York Times that “the evidence is pretty overwhelming about relative safety and the downward trajectory,” while Mayor Sadiq Khan said London has been the victim of “endless streams of distortions and untruths.” A White House spokeswoman, Abigail Jackson, countered that “President Trump is right,” pointing to other data that includes online fraud and blaming immigration policy.

The article also reports a substantial rise over the past decade in visible street crimes such as phone theft and shoplifting, which followed police budget cuts in the 2010s and a shift by the Met to prioritise serious violence and sexual offences. Mr. Rowley said a more aggressive approach in the last two years has led to about 1,000 more arrests a month for less serious crimes and higher case‑solved rates.

Officials acknowledged localised violence and ongoing police operations.

Key Topics

World, London, Homicide Rate, Donald Trump, Sadiq Khan, Mark Rowley