Violence against women and girls rises in London

Violence against women and girls in London has increased over the last year and remains "endemic", the London Assembly has heard.

New figures from the Metropolitan Police show reported sexual offences increased by 7.4% in the 12 months up to the end of January 2025, compared to the previous 12 months.

Deputy assistant commissioner Alexis Boon told the committee that the problem was "huge", and said the solutions relied on societal changes, and said the Met "wasn't going to solve it".

Susan Hall of the Police and Crime Committee said its meeting on Wednesday was "timely" following the sentencing of Kyle Clifford, who killed his ex-girlfriend, her sister and her mother in a crossbow attack.

The committee was hosting the second part of its current investigation into violence against women and girls (VAWG) in the capital.

It heard evidence from the panel that their latest research showed "societal changes" and a "push back on (gender) equality".

Jain Lemom, the head of tackling violence against women and girls at the Mayor's office for policing and crime (MOPAC), told the group that "boys are being pushed towards a view of masculinity" which was "a big worry".

Ms Lemom said: "It is proliferating itself in society, but definitely in the online space."

Lib Peck, the director of the Mayor's violence reduction unit agreed, and told the committee: "We've seen the influence of the Tate brothers and others when we've spoken to teachers and young people that we work with.

"That's really being felt when it comes to misogyny being directed towards young women.

"We're doing a lot in that online space to recognise that evil that is really helping to fuel a lot of the violence towards girls and young women."

Will Balakrishnan, director of commissioning and partnerships at the Mayor's office for policing and crime, said the issue of violence towards women and girls was "endemic" in the capital.

He cited a Girlguiding report from 2024 which said 95% of women aged 17-21 experience sexism, with nearly half feeling less safe as a result.

The report said 77% of girls interviewed had experienced sexism online.

Ms Lemom also told the committee there was a "dearth of services for young people experiencing forms of VAWG".

Conservative assembly member Emma Best later responded and discussed her concerns over the closure of Cyber Helpline, a website run by a network of volunteers who help victims of cybercrime, digital fraud & online harm, including victims of VAWG in London.

The assembly member said the support service was "vital" but faced being shut down imminently, due to Mayoral budget cuts.

"If we're losing officers in the Met, actually this is a service which is providing the work of police officers - these experts are providing additional expertise which really are vital," she said.

Will Balakrishnan, the director of commissioning and partnerships at the Mayor's office for policing and crime responded to say that finances were currently "tricky" within the Mayor's office, and said that the cuts were part of other "efficiencies" being made, due to reduced government support.

The Met's dep assistant commissioner, Alexis Boon said there was a need to "increase reporting".

"Then we can tackle it more effectively and tackle the underlying causes," he said.

Dep assistant commissioner Boon said the Met was "committed to tackling VAWG", but said the problem was "huge", and said that "fundamentally we need to change the way we treat women and girls as a society".

He said the Met "wasn't going to solve it".

Launched at the end of February, the findings of the VAWG investigation will feed into a new report with recommendations for improvements, and will be sent to the Mayor in April.

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