We have counted 107 homicides in London for 2022. Although that figure may rise or fall depending on the outcome of investigations, it amounts to around an 18 per cent fall from the 128 we counted in 2021. It suggests that we haven’t yet seen a post-Covid surge in murders, despite a brief spike during the summer heatwave. Maybe we never will.
The Metropolitan Police statistics dashboard, as of today’s date, shows a figure of 111 homicides, a 17 decrease from 134 in 2021. The chart below shows how 2022 progressed compared to previous years.
Murdermap’s figures are always slightly different, as the police recording practice is slightly different for several reasons, plus they may be including cases that have not yet entered the public domain. A recent press release from the Met on 6 January revealed that their figures included five homicides that happened in 2021 (this is one of the ways their record keeping differs).
Our homicide map for 2022 also allows you to filter by sex, weapon, borough, age range and date, with a separate page giving statistics for the months, boroughs, age range, location and case status.
In brief, our breakdown of the 107 homicides is as follows:
Male: 79
Female: 28
Teenagers: 14 (all of which involved a knife, with 16 male and 1 female)
Weapon:
Gun: 9
Knife: 67
No weapon (hands, feet etc): 16
Location:
Street: 50
Residential: 40
Park: 8
Borough (Top 3):
Brent: 8
Lambeth: 8
Redbridge: 7
At the time of writing, 17 homicides remain unsolved, though this is likely to go down as investigations conclude. (The figure for 2021 is currently 14)
For completeness, the Met’s breakdown is:
14 teenage homicides in 2022, compared to the all-time record of 30 in 2021.
17 domestic homicides, compared to 25 in 2021.
9 “gun-enabled” homicides, compared to 12 in 2021.
6 “knife enabled” homicides compared to 83 in 2021.
The Met Police Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, said: “Each and every homicide is devastating – these are victims, not just statistics. They all have families, friends and loved ones that were left behind when their lives were tragically cut short.
“Although the number of homicides fell last year, we are not complacent. We will continue to use every measure available to keep Londoners safe and bring offenders to justice.”