Interactive map reveals the worst London crime rates by borough

London’s crime rates are only going up as former Metropolitan Police officers claim criminals ‘know they can get away with it’.

Around 957,481 crimes were reported across London last year, ranging from theft to sexual offences.

Some 16,789 of these involved a bladed weapon, equalling around 46 knife related crimes a day, the Office for National Statistics said.

Westminster saw 91,380 offences committed, which is more than double that of the next densely populated of Camden, which saw 42,569 crimes reported.

An ex-police officer told Metro criminals know ‘they can get away with it’ as the rate of convictions is so low.

Mike Neville – dubbed ‘the super recogniser’ due to how many people he has caught – said shoplifters are even stealing to order.

Shoplifting offences have more than doubled, from 38,768 in 2022 to 89,821 in 2024.

He said: ‘We have CCTV cameras everywhere, but thieves know they can get away with it because there are so few arrests, and even less prosecutions.’

Westminster in particular has been plagued by thieves, as phone snatchers roam central London to steal devices out of the hands of unsuspecting tourists and commuters.

Despite this, 1,700 officers and staff are set to be cut from London’s police force.

The Metropolitan Police said: ‘Tackling violence remains a top priority for the Met, and we know that reducing knife crime requires the collective effort of policing, local partners, charities and our communities.

‘We have already seen some success, reducing the number of personal robberies by over 10 per cent, which makes up a large proportion of knife crime.

‘We will continue to work hard, including increasing visible police patrols to deter criminals and proactively targeting those causing the most harm.’

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