Halved teen homicide rate not enough, target must be zero, says AM 

London can only end homicide if there is a target of zero murders, says Caroline Russell in response to latest police figures showing there were 109 homicides in the capital last year, down from 132 in 2021.[1]  

In 2013, deaths were at the same number (109), showing no change in a decade and Home Office data since 1981 shows London’s homicide rate has been consistently higher than in other regions. [2] 

Caroline’s report, Zero Murders: A Vision to End Homicide in London, investigated homicide rates and how to reach a target of zero murders. [3] 

 Green Party London Assembly Member Caroline Russell says:  

 “The bigger picture here is that compared to a decade ago, the same number of people are victims of devastating homicides in London. 

“The Met needs to show that it’s serious about this and setting a bold target will encourage bold action.  

“The previous Met Commissioner did not agree with me that zero is the only acceptable target number for homicides in London, despite my repeated calls to have a strategic goal to measure progress against. 

 “Every murder can be prevented. London should be aiming for a target of zero homicides, it is a target that we have for deaths on our roads through Vision Zero, and there is no reason why we should limit our ambition to end preventable death to road deaths.” 

Caroline’s report also highlights worrying disproportionality between different groups.   

• Young black people and black people generally are significantly more likely to be victims of homicide.  

• Domestic abuse homicides from 2005 to 2020 represent 16.8 per cent (361 out of 2,140) of the overall homicide deaths in London. However, the victims of domestic abuse homicides are overwhelming (74 per cent) women and mainly people aged between 25-44, highlighting that domestic abuse homicides are disproportionally gendered.  

• The number of homicides of people aged 13-24 and 25-34 is consistently greater than any other age group.  

• YouGov poll in May 2022 showed 43 per cent of Londoners said crime was the most urgent issue to be tackled by London, only behind housing. [4]  

 Caroline also raised that between 2005 and 2018 Iceland recorded just 24 murders and over the same time period London recorded 1,862 This means that Iceland had 67 murders per million people in that time compared to London’s 210 per million people. That’s three times as many. [5]