Nine out of 10 unsolved murders in London linked to non-white victims

Exclusive: Analysis risks deepening perception of ‘unequal protection under the law’, say campaigners

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 2019 and 2023 found minority ethnic British people made up 61% of victims. When researchers assessed unsolved murders, 92.9% of cases in the capital were connected with a victim who was a person of colour.

Also between 2019 and 2023, black people were victims in 40% of all homicides and represented 73% of all unsolved murder cases during that period. Black victims made up 83.7%, 36 victims, of unsolved shootings and 73.5%, 39 victims, of unsolved stabbings.

The Metropolitan police 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 2019 and 2023, London averaged 124.6 homicides a year, with stabbings accounting for 65.3% of all killings and shootings 8.7%.

Yet among the 41 murders from this period that remain unsolved, shootings made up 38%, 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 36. However, for unsolved cases, the average victim’s age drops significantly to 28, 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 10 killings resulting in justice. Last year the Met recorded 97 homicides in London, down from 153 in 2019, and the lowest in a decade.

The study says between 2015 and 2024 there were 110 unsolved homicides, 9%, of 1,222 killings in that period.