London crime statistics: Is knife crime getting worse?
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The capital is facing a fresh wave of knife crime, with several attacks reportedly occurring in the space of just days since the New Year began. Incidents have included a 17-year-old left fighting for his life after being stabbed in the early hours of January 1 in Brixton.
Then, on January 5, a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old were rushed to hospital after a double stabbing on Kilburn High Road, North London. Police confirmed a teenager has been arrested in connection with the incident. Now tributes hare being paid to a 14-year-old boy stabbed to death on a bus in what his former south London school described as “senseless violence”.
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The incident came just a day after an 18-year-old student was left fighting for life after being stabbed near his sixth-form college in Woolwich. The spate of attacks have raised the question of how knife crime rates have risen so much in recent years.
![[Teenager fighting for life after being stabbed near his sixth form college in Woolwich]](https://static.standard.co.uk/2025/01/07/16/41/prince-imperial-road.jpeg?crop=8:5,smart&quality=75&auto=webp&width=960)
London appears to have a higher amount of knife crime compared to some parts of the country. Other cities and metropolitan areas appear to show a similar trend. Recent data compiled by PA revealed 10 teenagers were killed in London last year, nine of whom were the victims of stabbing while one died in a shooting. The youngest victim in 2024 was aged 14.
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Nevertheless, this was down sharply from 21 teenage deaths in the capital in 2023. However, the Ben Kinsella Trust reveals that, up to June of last year, the Met Police recorded offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in London generally had risen by 16 per cent over the past year.
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