London ambulance crews hailed for cut in homicides

The murder rate for London has dropped to its lowest rate since the 1960s.

That is according to new figures by the Metropolitan Police.

Efforts by ambulance crews trained to treat injuries at the scene, instead of ferrying victims straight to hospital, were hailed as a factor in the reduction.

Crime prevention work between communities and the Met also helped bring down the figures to 117 in 2011, from 222 in 2003.

Detective Chief Superintendent Hamish Campbell, head of the Homicide and Serious Crime section said more work is necessary.

“London has seen a falling murder rate over the last ten years. While one murder is one too many we hope people will see this downward trend as a positive sign of a city that is a safe place to visit, work and live,” he said.

“We recognise that some areas are more vulnerable to violent crime than others. The work of very many people in the police, communities and other organisations, and their efforts in preventing crime in the first place, has helped achieve this reduction.

“We want that to continue and the help of the public is essential in achieving both the arrests and convictions that follow.”

Mayor of London Boris Johnson, who is seeking re-election, welcomed the figures. “In one of the toughest financial environments we’ve managed to get 1,000 more police on the street and drive down crime by more than 10% across London, making it the safest it’s been in years.”

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