London homicide rate falls to 1.1 per 100,000 as stop and search finds rise

London’s homicide rate fell to 1.1 per 100,000 people in 2025, the lowest since records began, the Metropolitan Police reported on 12 August 2026. The force recorded 97 killings in the capital last year, down from 153 in 2019. That represents a 36% decrease over six years.

The figures were released as part of a public statement by Scotland Yard. The Met said the 2025 total was the lowest since 95 homicides were recorded in 2014. The rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people is lower than comparable cities including New York (2.8), Paris (1.6) and Berlin (3.2).

Mayor highlights figures in dispute with Trump

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan cited the data in a public dispute with former US president Donald Trump. Khan posted on X on 12 August 2026: “The loudest voices online aren't always the most accurate. New data shows our homicide rate is lower than every US state, while murder rates are at record lows.”

Trump has previously claimed London’s crime is “going through the roof” and called Khan a “stone cold loser”. A source close to Khan told the Standard that Trump and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage “want to paint London as a hellhole because it suits their interest”.

Stop and search finds reach record high

The Met also reported that stop and search operations in July 2026 found evidence in 36% of cases. That is the highest rate recorded by the force. In 2025, stop and search led to the seizure of 3,800 weapons and the discovery of illegal drugs on 27,800 occasions.

Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan, the Met’s stop and search lead, said: “Stop and search remains a vital tool in helping officers remove weapons from our streets, apprehend dangerous offenders and ultimately save lives.”

The Met said the increase in successful searches followed “more precise and considered stops” by officers. Historically, higher rates of stop and search have been linked to lower detection rates.

Disproportionality in stop and search persists

Research by King’s College London found black people were 3.4 times more likely than white people to be stopped and searched in London in February 2026. The national rate is four times. In some wards, the disparity was far higher.

In East Sheen, Richmond, black people were 48 times more likely to be searched than white people. In Dulwich Village, the rate was 40 times, and in Hampstead Town, 38 times. The research analysed 152,000 stop and search records from 2023.

The Met has not yet published a response to the King’s College London findings. The force said in August 2026 that stop and search must be used “fairly, professionally and with the confidence of the communities we serve”.

What happens next

The Met will continue its stop and search operations under current policy. The force has not announced any changes to the tactic. The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime is expected to publish a review of stop and search disproportionality later in 2026, but no date has been set.