Over the last year we have reported on hundreds of incidents, many of them fatal and some involving the deaths of multiple people. Each one is a tragedy, but reporting on crime often helps police catch the culprits, and simply lets people know what is happening in their local area.
We’ve looked back at our reporting from 2024, to pull out some key stats. The list of incidents may not be exhaustive, and some of them happened outside of London, but to some extent they allow us to put the last 12 months in context. Based on the data from our own reporting of over 200 fatal incidents, we found vehicles were more than four times deadlier than guns, and slightly more than knives (in terms of incidents, not total fatalities).
We reported on 49 crashes, 53 stabbings, 12 shootings, and 28 assaults – all involving at least one death. Breaking down the crash data, we reported on 24 fatal crashes where a pedestrian was hit; 16 crashes where the driver or passenger in either vehicle died; four deadly crashes that involved a police car; and five collisions where a cyclist was killed.
See our map below:
In total there were six fatal incidents involving the Met Police. They included the four deadly crashes, a police shooting, and a police foot chase where the suspect died on a railway line. One of those crashes involving a police car led to the death of a pregnant woman and her unborn child. This year the Met came under extra scrutiny as officer Martyn Blake went on trial for the shooting of Chris Kaba.
We also found Londoners were twice as likely to die in a fire than they were in the water. We reported on 21 deadly fires and 10 deaths in London’s waterways. Those water deaths included six in the River Thames, three in the canal network, and one in the River Cray.
The data we collected also highlighted a few mass casualty events, including two road traffic accidents that led to the deaths of three people on each occasion. There was also a triple killing in Hertfordshire that led to a manhunt in London, and two sets of double killings. We also reported on two baby-deaths that triggered criminal proceedings, and the killing of a woman by a dog.
In almost all these cases, there are still ongoing criminal proceedings, or the case has not yet reached the coroner’s court. It means the final cause of death has not been determined, nor has any fault been attributed.
Got a tip, a court date, or some gossip? Please email callum.cuddeford@reachplc.com or WhatsApp 07580255582.
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