London is antithesis to what Trump believes: Mayor Sadiq Khan

London, Jan 12 (PTI) Mayor of London Sadiq Khan on Monday released official figures that show a “collapse” in murder rates as he hailed the UK capital as an antidote to divisive politics and rebuffed US President Donald Trump’s attacks on the city.

  According to the latest data, there were 97 homicides recorded in 2025, an 11 per cent reduction on the 190 logged in 2024 and the lowest in 11 years. In the same period, figures claim that violent incidents resulting in injury fell by a fifth, while firearms discharges were less than half what they were seven years ago.   “When I hear President Trump speaking, it’s like being back in the school playground. What I don’t want to do is have a tit-for-tat response,” Khan told reporters, in response to a question about the US President’s repeated allegations against his mayoral abilities and high crime rates in the UK capital.  “But what is the evidence? The evidence is London has a collapse in homicide rate, it is incredibly successful in tourism, culture, sports, music, foreign direct investment and international students.   “The evidence also is: we are liberal, progressive, diverse and incredibly successful. So, we are the antithesis of nativist politicians like President Trump. And that’s why I suspect he has a problem with London. We are, in my view, the greatest city in the world," he said.   “But if you are somebody who believes there’s a clash of civilisations or a nativist, then you are obviously worried about London being the antidote to what you are spouting, which is division, hatred... that I suspect is one of the reasons President Trump has animus towards myself and this great city of London,” he said.  The London-born mayor of Pakistani heritage said the fall in the city's crime rates is the result of efforts made by the Metropolitan Police, which is arresting an additional 1,000 offenders each month, driving innovation through technologies such as facial recognition and delivering a targeted crackdown on the most dangerous gangs, organised criminals and predatory men who prey on women and children.  The crackdown has also been bolstered by the Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), which was set up to tackle the causes of crime through prevention and early intervention.    Khan said: “We have made massive progress in the recent past to address the issue of crime. But I recognise the perception of crime, fear of crime, particularly women feel scared at some parts of the day. We are investing huge amounts in addressing the issue of violence against women and girls.  “The other area that concerns me is the perception around what’s known as high volume crime, the theft of mobile phones, luxury watches. We have invested in visible policing in the West End and other parts of London based on the data, but also covert policing. We have doubled the size of the policing team in the West End.”  This, he claimed, has led to a 15 per cent reduction in personal robbery and 25 per cent fall in personal theft.  “But we are not complacent, we will carry on working hard to make the city safer,” he added.  The Met Police is said to have struck at the root of gang violence by dismantling thousands of drug operations – making more than 1,600 arrests in the past year alone.   “The results speak for themselves: fewer lives lost, fewer families shattered. Every murder is a tragedy, but we will continue to use every tool at our disposal to drive down serious violence. This work will not stop, and neither will our determination to keep Londoners safe," said Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley.    The city’s crackdown on crime is said to have focused on prevention as much as enforcement, which has meant fewer shootings and stabbings over the last decade. PTI AK      RD RD