Study finds 9 in 10 unsolved London murders linked to non-white victims
New research shows that between 2019 and 2023, nearly 93% of unsolved murders in London involved non-white victims, with Black victims especially overrepresented in unresolved shooting and stabbing cases. The Met attributes part of the gap to lower trust in police among affected communities.
New research suggests that people who kill Black victims are more likely to escape justice than those who kill white victims. A review of unsolved homicides in London between 2019 and 2023 found that while non-white British people accounted for 61% of all murder victims, they made up nearly 93% of victims in cases that remain unsolved.
During the same period, Black people were victims in 40% of all homicides but accounted for 73% of unsolved murder cases. The disparity was even sharper in shootings and stabbings: Black victims made up almost 84% of unsolved fatal shootings and about 74% of unsolved fatal stabbings.
Trust in policing cited as a factor
The Metropolitan Police says part of the racial gap stems from lower trust in police among Black communities, particularly among young Black men, meaning victims and witnesses are less likely to come forward. The force says it is working to address this.
The study, carried out by Action on Armed Violence, also found that fatal shootings were disproportionately likely to remain unsolved compared with stabbings. Although shootings made up a relatively small share of London's overall homicides in this period, they accounted for a much larger share of unsolved cases.
Police officials say shootings and street stabbings are inherently harder to investigate than domestic killings, since identifying suspects requires extensive evidence-gathering, including witness testimony, alongside tools like CCTV and forensics. Detectives also noted that shootings often involve more planning than the sudden nature of many stabbings, adding to the investigative challenge.
The average age of homicide victims in London is around 36, but among unsolved cases the average drops to 28, pointing to a skew toward younger victims in cases that go unresolved.
Researchers warned that the uneven distribution of unsolved murders risks deepening mistrust in law enforcement among the communities most affected by violence, and creating a perception of unequal protection under the law. Despite this, the Met maintains a high overall clear-up rate, solving roughly nine in ten homicides. London recorded 97 homicides last year, down from 153 in 2019 and the lowest total in a decade.
