Islington knife crime on the rise

By Rosa Renzi, Daniela Forresu, Daniella Dogbe and Molly Madden

A sudden and abrupt increase in knife crime was recorded in Islington in September, with a rise of 65.2 percent, according to Metropolitan Police.

A consistent rise of knife crimes reported to the police has shown that stabbings in the borough show no signs of slowing down, as this harrowing statistic ruined the yearly records of the popular North London district.

Islington is a vibrant and densely populated borough in North London that has around 236,000 residents, according to the Islington Council.

Metropolitan Police data recorded a promising decrease in knife crime during the first half of 2024, giving some hope to what has been subject to serious concerns to London residents.

However, September counted 389 reported knife crimes against the 146 recorded in February 2024 in Islington.

The overall number of knife crimes in London is 15,442, which is 9.1% more than last year, still it does make Islington low in the list of most dangerous boroughs for knife crime.

Michael, 28, a TfL customer assistant who lives in Tottenham and who works in the Holloway tube station, is not concerned about knife crime and safety in the capital, as he says it is not as it used to be.

“There are preventions put into place like CCTV cameras,” he says, saying that such measures have played a key role for public security the last couple of years.

The presence of a police vehicle on Holloway Rd. A positive representation for the police’s commitment to public safety. Credit: Rosa Renzi

For some though, those preventions are not enough, and they do not feel safe walking London streets, particularly at night.

“I have experienced episodes where people were fighting each other” says Violet Mathew, 18, who currently works in hospitality.

On the other hand, other members of the public are more concerned about petty crimes like phone snatchings, rather than knife crimes. On this regard, shop owner, Ramz, 47, said: “I see that once a week.”