The morning case file
London Crime Briefing
Significant incidents, hearings, outcomes and public-data changes across the capital.
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London data roomSee the pattern.
See the pattern.
Question the number.
Compare 24 months of official Met records across every borough. Each chart states the period, geography and limits before it makes a claim.
Explore London crime data
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Crime by borough
01Westminster data + local reporting02Camden data + local reporting03Hackney data + local reporting04Croydon data + local reporting05Newham data + local reporting06Lambeth data + local reporting07Southwark data + local reporting08Barnet data + local reporting
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Across the capital
Latest case files and public-safety reportingMore London crime reports
How do I report a crime in London?
A practical route to 999, 101, online reporting and specialist services.
Read the guide 02What happens after someone is charged?
The sequence from first hearing to plea, trial and outcome.
Read the guide 03How should I read crime statistics?
What recorded-crime data can show, and where it can mislead.
Read the guideLondon crime briefing
Start with the right question.
Definitions and limits are part of the answer, not a footnote after it.
01What does London Crime News cover?
Incidents, criminal courts, policing, prosecution, victim services and public safety across all 32 London boroughs, the City and the transport network.
02Does a charge mean someone is guilty?
No. A charge is a formal accusation. Reports label the known stage—investigation, arrest, charge, trial, conviction, acquittal or sentence.
03Where do the crime figures come from?
Borough pages use the Metropolitan Police geographic breakdown published through the London Datastore. Street-level records are kept separate.
04Can a borough total tell me whether I am safe?
No. Recorded totals are shaped by population, visitors, reporting, police activity and recording practice. They are evidence about records, not a personal risk score.
Follow the incident, the court case and the outcome
London Crime News covers crime, policing and criminal courts across every London borough. Reports identify the procedural stage, preserve the source chain and separate an allegation from a finding of fact.
Latest London crime news
Recent incidents, appeals, charges, hearings, convictions, acquittals and sentences.
London court cases
Criminal hearings and outcomes reported with the defendant’s current legal status made clear.
Met Police and policing
Operational updates, investigations, misconduct, oversight and policing decisions.
Crime news by borough
Open a borough case file for incidents, local policing and court outcomes near you.
London crime statistics
Recorded offences by borough and approximate street location, with limits stated beside the data.
Fraud and cybercrime
Scams, financial crime, cyber investigations and cases affecting London residents and businesses.
Check the case status.
Police statements establish what a force alleges at a point in time. Court findings and later outcomes can change the record.
Read our crime standard →Official sources
We report on these bodies. Where you need the authoritative record rather than our account of it, go straight to them.
- Report a crime
How to report a crime or anti-social behaviour, and when to call 999 rather than 101.
- Metropolitan Police newsroom
The force’s own statements, appeals and charging announcements, as issued.
- Crown Prosecution Service
Who decides whether a charge is brought, and the announcements when one is.
- Find a court or tribunal
Addresses, contact details and listings for the courts a London case passes through.
- Sentencing remarks and judgments
The judiciary’s own record: sentencing remarks and judgments in full, rather than summarised.
- Victim Support
Free, independent support for anyone affected by crime, whether or not it was reported.
- Crimestoppers
Report what you know anonymously. Independent of the police, and it takes no personal details.
Stories we are still following
London Crime News keeps a page for every subject it has covered at least six times, holding that reporting in one place so a single decision can be read against the ones before it.
Practical guides
Written by hand rather than assembled from other outlets, and kept useful after the news has moved on. These answer the things people in London actually have to deal with.
- How to report a crime in London: 999, 101, online and on public transport
The right route depends on whether danger is immediate, where the incident happened and whether you need to report anonymously.
- What happens after someone is charged with a crime in London?
A charge starts a prosecution; it does not decide guilt. Here is the route from the police station to the first hearing and beyond.
- How to read London crime statistics without drawing the wrong conclusion
Recorded crime measures police records, not every offence committed. Geography, population, reporting and the comparison period all matter.
- Stop and search in London: your rights and what the officer must explain
A search is not an arrest or a finding of guilt. The officer must identify the legal power, grounds and record of the encounter.
- How to report fraud and cybercrime in London after Action Fraud changed
Report Fraud replaced Action Fraud as the national reporting service in December 2025. A live emergency still belongs with 999.
- Who polices the London Underground, stations and rail network?
British Transport Police leads on railways and the Underground; the Met and City forces cover most streets, buses and local emergencies.
- London knife crime statistics: what the figures count and what they leave out
A knife-enabled offence is a recorded-crime classification, not one single offence type. Police records, hospital admissions and homicide data answer different questions.
- Police legal database hacked: 100,000 officers' details posted on the dark web
The Police National Legal Database was breached, exposing names, contact details and force affiliations. Ministry of Defence, Home Office, National Crime Agency and Crown Prosecution Service staff are also caught up in it.
Listen instead
London Crime News publishes a spoken bulletin every morning covering the day before: the main stories, in about five minutes. Press play, or subscribe and they arrive on their own.
Latest bulletin · Thursday, 5 November 2026
Thursday 5 November: Russell Brand faces new rape allegations
4:02 · Read by a synthetic voice
0:00−4:02
Every episode — one a day, covering the day before.
Any other app takes the address directly: londoncrimenews.co.uk/podcast.xml
About London Crime News
London Crime News is a free, independent local news site covering London, including Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Bexley, Brent, Bromley, Camden. It reads 21 named news sources, scores how well each story was reported, and publishes its own account with the original reporting linked. 2,589 stories have been published so far. Every article is free to read, with no paywall and no registration.
What does London Crime News cover?
London Crime News covers incidents, criminal courts, policing, prosecution, victim services and public safety across all 32 London boroughs, the City of London and the transport network.
Where does London Crime News get its information?
Reports use official police, court and prosecution sources alongside established London and borough newsrooms. Public-data pages use Home Office, Metropolitan Police and MOPAC datasets, and every article identifies its original sources.
Does a charge mean someone is guilty?
No. A charge is a formal accusation. London Crime News labels whether a case is at investigation, arrest, charge, trial, conviction, acquittal or sentence stage and attributes contested claims.
Can London crime statistics show whether an area is safe?
Not by themselves. Recorded crime changes with reporting and recording practices as well as offending. The site states each dataset’s period, geography and limitations and avoids treating one month or one incident as a trend.