LONDON — People from minority ethnic backgrounds made up a far larger share of London’s unsolved murders than of homicide victims overall, according to new research. Analysis of cases between 2019 and 2023 found minority ethnic British people accounted for 61.7% of reported homicide victims, but 92.9% of victims in unsolved murder cases.
The findings also suggest black victims were disproportionately represented. They made up 40% of all homicide victims in the period, yet 73% of unsolved murder victims. The research, carried out by Action on Armed Violence, says the pattern raises difficult questions about trust, witness co-operation and the ability of investigators to secure evidence in the most serious cases.
Shootings account for a much larger share of unsolved cases
The report found shootings were much more likely to remain unsolved than stabbings. Between 2019 and 2023, London averaged 124.6 homicides a year. Stabbings made up 65.3% of all killings, while shootings accounted for 8.7%.
But among the 41 murders from that period that were still unsolved, shootings accounted for 38% of cases, more than four times their share of total homicides. Black victims made up 83.7%, or 36 victims, of unsolved shootings, and 73.5%, or 39 victims, of unsolved stabbings. The study also noted that the average age of homicide victims in London was about 36, but that the average age in unsolved cases fell to 28.
Metropolitan Police point to trust and witness co-operation
The Metropolitan Police said the disparity is linked in part to lower trust in policing among black Londoners, something officers say they are trying to improve. Commander Paul Brogden, the Met’s head of homicide, said serious violence disproportionately affects certain communities, particularly young black men.
He said those communities have the lowest trust in policing, which can mean victims or witnesses are less likely to come forward. Brogden added that shootings and stabbings on the street create extra investigative challenges, especially when compared with domestic murders. He said police use CCTV and forensic evidence, but witness statements can be vital to securing convictions.
Why murder investigations are harder in firearm cases
Senior Scotland Yard homicide detective DCI Alex Gammampila said shootings can be harder to solve because they often involve more planning than a stabbing. He said firearm offences tend to be more complex than an attack in which someone suddenly picks up a knife and strikes.
Iain Overton of Action on Armed Violence said the data suggest London’s unsolved murders are not evenly distributed, but concentrated among young Black men and cases involving firearm violence. He said that for families, the result can appear clear: those most affected by deadly violence are often the least likely to see offenders brought to justice. The Met says it clears up nine out of 10 homicides overall, and last year recorded 97 murders in London, down from 153 in 2019 and the lowest level in a decade.
Longer-term data show a continuing gap in solved cases
The study also looked at a wider period from 2015 to 2024. Over those 10 years, there were 1,222 killings in London, of which 110, or 9%, remained unsolved. That broader picture suggests the problem identified in the 2019 to 2023 data is part of a longer-running pattern rather than a one-off anomaly.
Researchers say the figures matter because they reflect not only investigative difficulty, but also the wider consequences for confidence in policing. Where families and communities believe violence is not met with the same level of justice, mistrust can deepen further. The report argues that the imbalance in unsolved cases is concentrated in the very communities already most affected by homicide and gun violence.
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