'Couldn't be more wrong!' Sadiq Khan blasts Nigel Farage as homicide rates fall in London

He wrote: “Across the Atlantic, Donald Trump has inexplicably veered between describing London as a city moving towards sharia law, and a place with hospitals like “warzones” and areas where police don’t want to go.

“Here in Britain, Nigel Farage is dancing to his tune. Reform UK’s leader claimed last week that London was ‘in the grip of a crime wave’.

“Meanwhile, the party’s new candidate for mayor of London claimed that people pitied Londoners for living in a city that was 'no longer safe'.”

Sir Sadiq added: “This latest startling statistic shows that those who talk down the capital at every opportunity couldn’t be more wrong: in London, the evidence is clear, we’re winning the battle against violent crime.

“This hasn’t happened by chance. It’s the outcome of a strategy we’ve pursued since the start of my first term as mayor: to be tough on violent crime, and tough on the complex causes of violent crime.”

Data released on Monday showed that homicides in in the capital had dropped to their lowest levels in more than a decade.

Met Police figures show London recorded 97 homicides last year - the lowest since 2014.

Figures also showed that the capital’s homicide rate per capita fell to a record low of 1.1 per 100,000 last year, lower than other major cities including New York, Paris and Berlin.

Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said: “London’s record‑low homicide rate is the result of relentless work.

"Arresting 1,000 more offenders each month, using innovative technology such as live facial recognition to solve more crime, and taking precise action against the most dangerous gangs, organised criminals, and predatory men who target women and children.

“The results speak for themselves: fewer lives lost, fewer families shattered.

"Every murder is a tragedy, but we will continue to use every tool at our disposal to drive down serious violence.”

Sir Mark launched a scathing attack on critics of the current state of London in The Times.

He wrote: “Some commentators promote a narrative that suits them, regardless that the facts tell a very different story.

And Sir Sadiq said: “Many people have been trying to talk London down, but the evidence tells a very different story.

“It’s clear that our sustained focus on being both tough on crime and tough on the complex causes of crime is working.”

Public trust in the Met has also strengthened, with 81 per cent of Londoners rating the force's local performance as good or fair.

But a vetting review published Thursday found 131 officers and staff - including two serial rapists - had committed crimes or misconduct after being inadequately screened.

The inquiry revealed thousands of officers and staff were improperly vetted during a national recruitment drive from July 2019 to March 2023.

The Met said it has since strengthened vetting procedures, taken action to address past failings, and is being transparent about historical practices that would not meet today’s standards.

Despite the fall in London's homicide rate, other forms of crime such as robbery, theft and weapons possession continue to rise.

According to Statista, there were 951,803 crimes reported in London in 2024/25 alone.

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