1 hour ago
2
The total number of homicides in England and Wales has fallen to its lowest level since records began after a dramatic drop in killings involving a knife or sharp implement.
Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show 499 homicides were recorded by police in the 12 months to September 2025, a drop of 7% year on year from 539. These are the lowest overall homicide figures since records were first recorded in 2003.
Homicide involving a knife or sharp instrument in England and Wales has fallen by 23% to 174 in the year. Knife crime has also fallen, dropping by 9% to 50,430 offences in the year to September, compared with 55,149 in the previous 12 months.
The government announced on Thursday that it had created nearly 3,000 extra prison places since it came into office in July 2024, and was on track to hit its goal of 14,000.
The crime figures appear to contradict claims from those on the right who say the UK, and London in particular, has a growing crime problem.
The statistics are split into police recorded crime and a crime survey of people’s experiences of crime.
The ONS estimates there were about 1.1m incidents of violent crime, ranging from threats and jostling to assault and murder, which was little changed on the previous year. The number of robbery offences remained broadly similar, at 82,678, but shoplifting increased by 5%, from 492,660 offences the previous year to 519,381.
Billy Gazard, of the ONS, said: “While the crime survey paints a relatively stable picture, many aspects of violent crime and theft recorded by the police have fallen in the past 12 months. Homicide and gun crime are at the lowest levels seen this century, while knife crime has also decreased.”
He added: “The majority of police forces have seen knife crime fall in the past year, including the larger urban Greater Manchester, Metropolitan and West Midlands areas. This is supported by NHS data, which continue to show a decrease in hospital admissions for assault by a sharp object.”
Figures published by the Metropolitan police earlier this month showed homicides in the capital dropped to the lowest level in more than a decade last year.
There were 97 recorded homicides in London in 2025, down 11% from 109 in 2024, and the lowest number since 2014, when 95 homicides were recorded.
Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, said: “We are having real success tackling the crimes that terrorise communities. Homicides are at their lowest level for almost 50 years. Knife crime continues to fall.”
She added: “But the crimes that tear at the fabric of communities, like shop theft and shop robbery, continue to rise and we must do more. That is why we are putting 13,000 more neighbourhood officers on the beat, and have invested £2bn more in forces across the country since we took office.”
