London's murder rate has overtaken New York City's for the first time ever, according to a new report.

February marked the first month the UK capital saw more murders than New York, with 15 dead (nine aged 30 or younger).

According to the report in the Sunday Times, London also suffered 22 fatal stabbings and shootings in March, higher than the 21 in the Big Apple.

Both cities have similarly sized populations of around 8.5m people. New York City's murder rate has decreased by around 87 per cent since the 1990s.

Meanwhile, London's has grown by nearly 40 per cent in just three years, not including deaths caused by terrorist attacks.

On Saturday a murder probe was launched after a 36-year-old woman was killed in what is believed to be the 30th incident of fatal knife crime in the capital this year.

The death came just hours after a man 23-year-old man died after being stabbed in the neck in Plumstead, south-east London on Thursday evening.

Jacob Whittingham, charity head of programmes for Fight for Peace, told the paper: "What's scary about London is the randomness of the crime.

"With young people in London, you have no idea if and when you may be the victim of a violent crime — that's why they feel the need to carry weapons."

Britain's most senior police officer recently said social media was partially to blame for the soaring rate of knife crime in the UK.

Met Commissioner Cressida Dick said websites and mobile phone applications such as YouTube, Snapchat and Instagram were partially to blame for the bloodshed.

Fatal stabbings in England and Wales are now at their highest levels since 2011, rising by 12 per cent in the year ending December 2017.