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The rate of knife crime with injury, as recorded by the Met, has remained fairly stable since 2010. There has been a small but significant increase in overall k

by foldr 1y ago

The rate of knife crime with injury, as recorded by the Met, has remained fairly stable since 2010. There has been a small but significant increase in overall knife-related offenses since 2010, but there is always the possibility that this has more to do with stricter enforcement than any baseline increase in criminal behavior. So knife crime is not really a good example of any kind of recent crime surge in London. See the first chart in this article: https://www.onlondon.co.uk/dave-hill-lets-get-the-london-knife-crime-story-straight/ https://www.onlondon.co.uk/dave-hill-lets-get-the-london-kni... (Note that the identification of Westminster as a knife-crime hotspot in the second chart is misleading, as this is an area of central London with lots of tourists and workers, thus inflating the number of crimes per the relatively small number of residents.) Knife crime is a serious problem, but it’s not something that I worry about at all in my day to day life in London. It would be no more rational for me to do so (in fact, less rational) than it would be for a New Yorker to worry about being shot. What I still don’t understand about this thread is why someone who doesn’t live in London has repeatedly being telling people who do live in London to “go out and see for themselves”. You seem very attached to a narrative about London found in certain sections of right wing online media, and unless you’re not telling us something, this can’t be because you have any personal interest in life in London. I feel like there’s some kind of agenda here, but I don’t care to speculate exactly what it is.

johnisgood 1y ago
I presented government statistics and crime data from official sources and the discussion should be about whether those numbers are accurate and what they show, not about where I live or my motivations (I have no agenda). People can reasonably interpret crime statistics differently based on their personal experiences and risk tolerance. Your experience feeling safe in London is valid, just as the experiences of those who feel unsafe are valid. The data I cited simply provides broader context beyond individual anecdotes. Crime statistics are publicly available precisely so they can inform public discussion, regardless of who's discussing them. If you think the sources I cited are inaccurate or the comparison is flawed, I'm happy to discuss that.
- foldr 1y ago
  The Crime Survey data shows that crime in London, and the rest of the UK, has generally decreased over the past ten years: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingmarch2025 https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeand... This is consistent with my personal experience and that of others who've posted here. You have not posted any data indicating otherwise. >the discussion should be about whether those numbers are accurate and what they show, not about where I live or my motivation You must understand that if you dismissively tell people to "go out and see for yourself", and then it turns out that you don't even live in London, people are going to wonder how you ended up holding such strong opinions on crime in London.
  - johnisgood 1y ago
    > You have not posted any data indicating otherwise. False. I have. See below. > The Crime Survey data shows that crime in London, and the rest of the UK, has generally decreased over the past ten years Your own source contradicts your claim. The latest ONS "Crime in England and Wales: year ending March 2025" bulletin-the most recent data available shows headline crime rose to 9.4 million incidents, a 7% increase from the previous year (8.8 million). This is the opposite of the decrease you're claiming. --- The crimes affecting daily safety have surged: - Fraud: +31% (4.2 million incidents-highest since records began in 2017) - Shoplifting: +20% (530,643 offences-highest since 2003) - Theft from person: +15% (151,220 offences-also record highs) --- You're conflating timeframes. Yes, the 10-year trend shows overall decreases, but the ONS explicitly states there have been "increases across some crime types in the latest reporting period." The current trend shows London getting less safe, not more. These aren't abstract statistics - fraud, shoplifting, and theft from the person are exactly the crimes that make London feel unsafe day-to-day. While homicides (-6%) fell slightly, that's a low-volume crime compared to millions of property offences hitting residents. --- So... your own data source proves crime is rising in the categories that matter most for everyday safety. --- PS. with regarding to: > and then it turns out that you don't even live in London, people are going to wonder how you ended up holding such strong opinions on crime in London. We have the internet. I can communicate with Londoners, visit regularly, read local London news sources, follow Metropolitan Police crime statistics, and so forth. The list is quite long. By your logic, crime researchers, policy analysts, journalists, and statisticians could only study cities where they personally reside. Your attempt to dismiss the data by questioning my location rather than addressing the statistics themselves suggests you're more interested in ad hominem attacks than substantive discussion.

by foldr 1y ago

johnisgood 1y ago

I presented government statistics and crime data from official sources and the discussion should be about whether those numbers are accurate and what they show, not about where I live or my motivations (I have no agenda). People can reasonably interpret crime statistics differently based on their personal experiences and risk tolerance. Your experience feeling safe in London is valid, just as the experiences of those who feel unsafe are valid. The data I cited simply provides broader context beyond individual anecdotes. Crime statistics are publicly available precisely so they can inform public discussion, regardless of who's discussing them. If you think the sources I cited are inaccurate or the comparison is flawed, I'm happy to discuss that.

foldr 1y ago
The Crime Survey data shows that crime in London, and the rest of the UK, has generally decreased over the past ten years: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingmarch2025 https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeand... This is consistent with my personal experience and that of others who've posted here. You have not posted any data indicating otherwise. >the discussion should be about whether those numbers are accurate and what they show, not about where I live or my motivation You must understand that if you dismissively tell people to "go out and see for yourself", and then it turns out that you don't even live in London, people are going to wonder how you ended up holding such strong opinions on crime in London.
- johnisgood 1y ago
  > You have not posted any data indicating otherwise. False. I have. See below. > The Crime Survey data shows that crime in London, and the rest of the UK, has generally decreased over the past ten years Your own source contradicts your claim. The latest ONS "Crime in England and Wales: year ending March 2025" bulletin-the most recent data available shows headline crime rose to 9.4 million incidents, a 7% increase from the previous year (8.8 million). This is the opposite of the decrease you're claiming. --- The crimes affecting daily safety have surged: - Fraud: +31% (4.2 million incidents-highest since records began in 2017) - Shoplifting: +20% (530,643 offences-highest since 2003) - Theft from person: +15% (151,220 offences-also record highs) --- You're conflating timeframes. Yes, the 10-year trend shows overall decreases, but the ONS explicitly states there have been "increases across some crime types in the latest reporting period." The current trend shows London getting less safe, not more. These aren't abstract statistics - fraud, shoplifting, and theft from the person are exactly the crimes that make London feel unsafe day-to-day. While homicides (-6%) fell slightly, that's a low-volume crime compared to millions of property offences hitting residents. --- So... your own data source proves crime is rising in the categories that matter most for everyday safety. --- PS. with regarding to: > and then it turns out that you don't even live in London, people are going to wonder how you ended up holding such strong opinions on crime in London. We have the internet. I can communicate with Londoners, visit regularly, read local London news sources, follow Metropolitan Police crime statistics, and so forth. The list is quite long. By your logic, crime researchers, policy analysts, journalists, and statisticians could only study cities where they personally reside. Your attempt to dismiss the data by questioning my location rather than addressing the statistics themselves suggests you're more interested in ad hominem attacks than substantive discussion.