Violence against women rises nearly 40% in London

[IwantToRetire]

Violence against women and girls in London has increased by 39% over the past decade, rising from 74,526 offences in 2014 to 103,089 in 2025, according to Metropolitan Police data.

Furthermore, the figures reveal that Westminster has experienced the most pronounced rise, with offences increasing by around 68% during the same period.

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) includes offences such as domestic abuse, harassment, sexual violence and trafficking. The most common VAWG-related offences recorded by the Metropolitan Police since 2019 have been stalking and harassment.

Article continues at https://www.swlondoner.co.uk/news/18032026-violence-against-women-rises-nearly-40-in-london-as-westminster-records-highest-rate

I wonder if the increase is partly that women are more willing to report? Maybe? But either way scary.

And were no rapes reported in 2019??

(Have posted chart as image so may not show immediately as will have to be approved!)

As HMI notes (see earlier quote), the figures over the last decade are not directly comparable because 10y ago, the police recorded a far smaller proportion of offences than they do now.

These trends are completely unreliable and cannot be relied upon for any serious discussion.

Why is Northern Ireland 'UK's most dangerous place to be a woman'?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyxexlkgd1o

Hope they allow the image as the chart is quite depressing.

Northern Ireland has one of the worst domestic abuse problems in Europe and has for some time. Almost all murders of women in Northern Ireland are by domestic partners or ex's. The paramilitary legacy means violent men have a power base they can become involved in so that women are often trapped not just by the violent man they unfortunately ended up with, but by a group of violent men who support their abuser and control the neighbourhood they live in making it difficult for them to get any support. This is similar to the impact the Mafia in the areas they have control.

There was a thread about this on FWR a while ago. I think linked to the publication of this report:

‘When you know what they are capable of’: Paramilitary-related Gendered Coercive Control - Foyle Women's Aid
https://foylewomensaid.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Full-Report_Para-Coer-Control_Swaine-FWA.pdf

And sadly for women in other parts of the world where there are paramilitaries a similar story.

I think this is where I read about it!

I live in South London. My personal experience is that we have a substantial increase in crimes against women, children, plus, increase in theft, burglaries and ASBOs. I’m super vigilant while passing through my local park during the day, never go there after dark.

Are these reported crimes, or what you are hearing through talking to people locally.

I think it is well known that there is quite a difference between recorded crime, and when people are asked via a survey their experience of crime.

@IwantToRetireMainly personal experience, Nextdoor local posts and talking to my neighbours

I find Nextdoor very sad as a reflection of life in the UK now.

Not so much strangely, although obviously disturbing, but that women are prepared to call out violent men and share images of them (is this allowed?!) to warn other women, but the fact that there is so obviously this huge divide between those who can enjoy a reasonable life style, and those who are clinging on.

And how many people are being taken advantage of by unscrupulous land lords, bogus plumbers, etc.. People whose lives are wrecked by being take ripped off because they assumed someone was being honest. It is really, really sad.

And (as someone who does live in London) how much of the life that people were able to lead as being part of whatever borough, was access to parks, the ability to work down pavements, having local shops. All of this is being gradually eaten away, by those with more money and influence. So during the summer some parks become no go areas because land is enclosed for festivals. No thought it given to those who have lost their park during summer holidays for them and their children, plus the noise level that means even if you are streets away well into the night you have to put up with thumping bass notes.

Pavements that are no longer safe or even passable for any one with a disability or a child in a buggy (lime bikes etc). And the loss of local shops that allowed people to feel part of a neighbourhood as they are all closed in favour of expensive, niche outlets, so you have to travel by public transport whereas before you could shop locally.

So this is within London a "crime". People who are pushed out of the areas they and their families have lived for years.

The chart is a raw number of cases. I’d be curious what the per capita data shows because the London metro area population was 8.5m in 2015 and 9.8m in 2025.

In addition, the headline is combining all offences, but when you look at the chart, the only offences that are on an alarming rise are stalking & harrassment and public fear & alarm?

Violence with physical injury has gone down, rape and other sexual offences are pretty flat. Again these are total cases so if VAWG had not increased or decreased on a per capita basis, you’d still see the raw number of cases go up by 15% due to the increase in population. These seem to be less prevalent as the number of cases aren’t up 15% for these offences.

That is another thing I was wondering looking at the chart because I know they expanded sexual offences to include upskirting and street harrassment to include wolf whistling/cat calling. Public fear and alarm could be related to the number of protests for various causes happening in London has been way more frequent than pre 2015.