A significant new opinion poll has exposed a deep national divide over the safety of the UK's capital, revealing that most Britons view London as an unsafe place to live, while its own residents strongly disagree.
The Perception Gap: National Fear vs. Local Confidence
According to a YouGov survey of 5,674 people conducted on 9 January, 61 per cent of Britons agree that London is an unsafe place to live. Only 30 per cent nationally view it as safe. This negative perception stands in stark contrast to the feelings of those who call the city home. The poll found that 63 per cent of London residents believe the capital is safe, and a resounding 81 per cent feel secure in their own local area.
This chasm in perception follows high-profile claims from figures like Donald Trump, who alleged London has "no-go areas" for police, and Nigel Farage, who described the city as being "in the grip of a crime wave". Reform UK's London mayoral candidate, Laila Cunningham, has similarly branded the city unsafe.
Official Data Paints a Different Picture of Crime
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley and Mayor Sadiq Khan have forcefully refuted these criticisms, pointing to official statistics that show 2025 was one of the safest years on record for serious violent crime. Key data points include:
- London's homicide rate per capita is at its lowest in 11 years since records began.
- In 2025, there were 97 homicides, an 11 per cent reduction from the previous year.
- The capital recorded the fewest homicides of victims under 25 this century.
- London's homicide rate now stands at 1.1 per 100,000 people, lower than any other UK city and several major global cities.
Speaking to The Independent, Mayor Khan stated: "Last year, something extraordinary happened in London. As the conversation about crime got even louder, London quietly reached the lowest per capita homicide rate in its recorded history." He directly addressed critics, saying, "Sorry, Trump and Farage – London is no lawless 'warzone'. Violent crime is lower than ever."
Beyond Homicides: A Broader Trend of Improvement
The positive trends extend beyond murder statistics. Metropolitan Police data shows that violent incidents resulting in injury fell by a fifth, while firearms discharges are less than half what they were seven years ago. Furthermore, hospital admissions of young people for knife assault have fallen by 43 per cent since 2019.
These improvements have been achieved despite London's population growing by more than half a million since 2014. On the BBC Newscast podcast, Mayor Khan suggested the safety perception problem lies with those outside the capital, remarking, "It’s those that don’t know London who believe this perception and narrative."
The poll also revealed that Reform UK voters are the most likely to think London is unsafe, at 85 per cent. In contrast, just 15 per cent of Londoners feel their local area is unsafe, a figure similar to the 11 per cent of people nationally who feel the same about their own neighbourhoods. The data marks a shift from twelve years ago; in 2014, 53 per cent of people across the UK thought of London as safe.
