Latest police figures for 2022 show that last year there were 109 homicides recorded in London, a drop from 132 in 2021.

Although this downward trend is positive news, Greens believe that we can only permanently reduce these killings with a bold target of zero murders and policies to match. 

The rate of murder was last at this level in 2013, so the bigger picture is that in fact we’ve seen no real progress in a decade. From a public health perspective, this isn’t good enough. 

In 2021, a target of zero murders was a key part of my manifesto to be mayor. I asked, if London has set a target for zero road deaths, why not for deaths by other forms of violence?

Ham & High: A target of zero murders was a key part Sian Berry's manifesto to be London mayor (Image: PA)A target of zero murders was a key part Sian Berry's manifesto to be London mayor (Image: PA) (Image: NEWSQUEST)

My Assembly colleague, Caroline Russell, has been questioning the mayor and the Metropolitan Police about these ideas ever since we were both re-elected that year. 

Her landmark report, Zero Murders: A Vision to End Homicide in London, investigated the causes of London’s persistently high homicide rates. She set out how reviewing every death for failings in policies and services that contributed - along with investment in truly preventive policies - could help bring down these deaths sustainably and permanently.

She also asked that new Offensive Weapons Homicide Reviews being carried out by the mayor’s team are funded properly to look holistically at a person’s life and interactions with public services and charities, to learn lessons and help prevent another similar death in future.

Caroline’s review of data showed that rates of domestic homicide, particularly of women, remain far too high and that - awfully - young people under 25 are most at risk of being murdered in our city.

Any life lost to homicide is a tragedy, and these young people deserve to be safe in our city, to be able to thrive, not just survive their youth. 

Within Camden, the Met Police dashboard has no data yet for 2022, but shows one murder in 2020 and three in 2021, much lower than the eight murders recorded in 2019 and the horrific peak year of 2005, which saw 20 victims in our borough. 

Last week, the new Met Commissioner Mark Rowley said to the BBC, “Each and every homicide is devastating - these are victims, not just statistics.”

He was right to say this but our city must turn fine words spoken to the media into a real new target, backed up with preventive policies that truly stand a chance of bringing murders down to zero.

Sian Berry (Green Party) is a London Assembly member and a Highgate councillor.