Floral tributes left for 16-year-old Tanesha Melbourne, who was fatally shot in Tottenham (Picture: SWNS)

The disturbing rise in murders in London has rightfully led to questions being asked about violent crime in the capital.

There were 45 murders in London in the first three months of this year, almost double the figure recorded for the same period in 2017.

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It has led to criticism of Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, while US President Donald Trump claimed a London hospital resembles a ‘war zone’ due to the spate of knife attacks.

However, despite the increase, its murder rate remains lower than in any of the 50 largest cities in the USA, as noted by Statista.


In the year ending on March 31 2018, London had a murder rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people, including eight people who died as a result of terrorism.



Murder rate in major cities (per 100,000 people) Baltimore 55.80 New Orleans 40.40 Detroit 39.70 New York City 3.40 Austin 3.10 San Diego 2.20 London 1.80 Share

Sadiq Khan has been criticised for the rise in murders in London (Picture: Getty)

In comparison, San Diego in California, the safest of America’s 50 largest cities, had a murder rate of 2.2.

New York City had 3.4 murders for every 100,000 citizens – while at the top of the list, Detroit, Michigan had a 39.7 rate, the figure jumped to 40.4 in New Orleans, Louisiana, and in Baltimore, Maryland, there were 55.8 murders per 100,000 people.

There have been 62 murders in London this year – with knives used for 39 of the deaths and guns involved 10 times.

Speaking earlier this week, Mr Khan, who has faced criticism over his response to the attacks, insisted he believes he has done nothing wrong.

He told LBC: ‘I don’t think we have done anything wrong in London.

‘Nor do I think, by the way, the police and crime commissioners across the country have done much wrong.’