London’s murder rate surpasses New York’s

LONDON – When British police launched a murder investigation Tuesday into the shooting death of a 17-year-old girl it pushed the homicide rate in Britain’s capital to a new, troubling milestone: London’s murder rate surpassed New York City’s for the first time.

London tallied 15 murders in February and 22 in March, slightly more than New York City for the same two months, which logged 14 in February and 21 in March, according to murder rate statistics provided to USA TODAY by London’s Metropolitan Police and the New York Police Department.

Overall, London has so far in 2018 seen fewer killings than New York City: 47 versus 54. Both cities have similarly sized populations of about 9 million.

In London, the homicide rate has increased as the British capital experiences a rise in knife-related crime — responsible for 31 deaths this year — while New York City’s murder rate has steadily dropped for almost three decades. Of the 54 murders in New York City this year, 32 people died by a firearm.

Last year, New York City police investigated 290 murders, part of the sharp decline that New York Police Department Commissioner James O’Neill has attributed to “precision” policing tactics including building trust with communities in disaffected neighborhoods, targeting the worst offenders and the better use of technology.

In 1990, by comparison, New York City counted more than 2,200 murders, according to police data.

In the British capital, there were 134 murders in 2017, a 40% increase over the last three years — excluding deaths in terrorist attacks.