Killers who take the lives of black people have a greater chance of getting away with their crimes than those who target white people, new research shows.
Analysis of unsolved homicides in London between ۲۰۱۹ and ۲۰۲۳ found non-white British people made up ۶۱% of victims. When researchers assessed unsolved murders, ۹۲.۹% of cases in the capital were connected with a victim who was non-white.
Also between ۲۰۱۹ and ۲۰۲۳, black people were victims in ۴۰% of all homicides and represented ۷۳% of all unsolved murder cases during that period. Black victims made up ۸۳.۷%, ۳۶ victims, of unsolved shootings and ۷۳.۵%, ۳۹ victims, of unsolved stabbings.
The Met say the racial disparity is due in part to black people having lower trust in the police, which they say they are trying to improve.
The Met’s head of homicide, commander Paul Brogden, told the Guardian: “We know serious violence disproportionately affects certain communities, particularly young black men, who have the lowest trust in policing. This means sadly victims or witnesses are less likely to come forward and trust us.”
The study, conducted by Action on Armed Violence, also found that deaths by shooting were more likely to be unsolved than those by stabbing. Between ۲۰۱۹ and ۲۰۲۳, London averaged ۱۲۴.۶ homicides a year, with stabbings accounting for ۶۵.۳% of all killings and shootings ۸.۷%.
Yet among the ۴۱ murders from this period that remain unsolved, shootings made up ۳۸%, more than four times their share of overall homicide total.
Brogden said: “As this report outlines, that is an added complexity following shootings or stabbings on the streets, where identifying suspects requires more detailed investigative work, particularly when compared to domestic murders.
“While we use every tool at our disposal such as CCTV and forensics, often it’s witness evidence which can prove vital in securing convictions.”
DCI Alex Gammampila, a senior Scotland Yard homicide detective, said: “There tends to be more planning and thought to it [a shooting], rather than a spontaneous pick up of a knife and stabbing thrust.
“All this makes firearms offences more challenging to solve.”
The average age of homicide victims in London is about ۳۶. However, for unsolved cases, the average victim’s age drops significantly to ۲۸, indicating a notable skew toward younger victims.
Iain Overton, of Action on Armed Violence, said of the findings: “Our data suggest that London’s unsolved murders are not evenly distributed. Instead, they are concentrated among young Black men and in cases involving firearm violence.
“While there are many reasons for why such murder investigations are especially difficult, the result must seem often clear to the victims’ families: those communities most affected by deadly violence are often the least likely to see those responsible brought to justice. This in itself risks deepening existing mistrust and creating the perception of unequal protection under the law. And that can’t be a good thing.”
The Met has a high clear-up rate for homicides, running at nine out of ۱۰ killings resulting in justice. Last year the Met recorded ۹۷ homicides in London, down from ۱۵۳ in ۲۰۱۹, and the lowest in a decade.
The study says between ۲۰۱۵ and ۲۰۲۴ there were ۱۱۰ unsolved homicides, ۹%, of ۱,۲۲۲ killings in that period.
