Below is data from our research on teenage murders in London over the last 5 years:

• 71% of teenagers killed in London in 2018 were Black boys (15 out of 21)
• In 2019 it was 76% (19 out of 25. One unnamed boy)
• In 2020 it was 65% (11 out of 17)
• In 2021 it was 63% (19 out of 20)
• In 2022 it was 71% (10 out of 14)

Other key points:

In 2019, former Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said that Black boys were nine times more likely to be murdered in London (The Times, Nov 2019).

The Black population in London is 13%. If we estimate that the Black male population is half of that at 6.5%, then these statistics tells us that there’s an issue that needs to be addressed.

This disproportionately is also reflected in other areas of life.

Black Caribbean children are 5 times more likely to be excluded from school that their white peers (The Guardian, Mar 2021) and we can estimate that most are boys. This subsequently feeds the school to prison pipeline.

The police’s attempt to tackle knife crime and youth violence results in Black boys being 19 times more likely to be stopped and searched in London (The Guardian, Dec 2020). This approach has its challenges and when done in the wrong way leads to trauma and causes more harm than good.