At England Then And Now, we track the gap between official narratives and life on the ground in modern England. Nowhere is that gap more stark than in the latest figures on sexual violence in the capital.
New analysis of Metropolitan Police figures indicates that 2,250 rapes were recorded in London in the first 90 days of 2026, alongside thousands of other sexual offences, raising renewed questions over official claims that the city is “safe” for women.
First quarter figures: rape every 58 minutes
Data shared from the Met and summarised by commentators in April shows that between 1 January and 31 March 2026, London saw:
- 2,250 recorded rapes
- 6,716 sexual offences
- 16,178 stalking and harassment offences
When averaged over the first quarter, this equates to:
- Approximately one rape every 58 minutes
- A sexual offence every 19 minutes
- A stalking or harassment offence every 8 minutes
These are police‑recorded crimes, not estimates or survey projections.
Monthly breakdown: January to March
The same dataset provides an indication of how rape reports are distributed across the first three months of the year.
- January 2026: figures compiled from Met data place recorded rapes in the mid‑700s, with some sources citing counts around 740–770.
- February 2026: posts based on Met crime statistics report 714 rapes recorded in London that month.
- March 2026: a further 762 rapes were recorded, according to a breakdown published in late April.
In total, these three months produce the headline figure of 2,250 recorded rapes in London across the first quarter.
Context: rising sexual offences and under‑reporting
The new London figures sit within a wider national trend of rising sexual offence reports and long‑term concerns about under‑reporting.
- A BBC investigation using Met and CPS data found more than 8,800 rapes reported to the Met in 2023, along with over 11,000 other sexual offences, approaching 20,000 sexual crimes reported in London that year.
- That investigation described a rape being reported in the capital roughly once every hour, with a broader sexual crime reported around every 26.5 minutes.
- ONS statistics for England and Wales show police‑recorded sexual offences have increased over the last decade, with officials linking this to both improved recording practices and greater willingness of victims to come forward.
- Rape Crisis figures indicate that only a minority of victims report to police at all, meaning recorded offences likely represent only part of the true picture.
In 2025, separate analyses of London crime data suggested there were around 9,744 rapes recorded in the capital over the year, broadly consistent with a rape being logged every 54–60 minutes.
Official messaging and public concern
The first‑quarter 2026 numbers have drawn attention in part because they appear at odds with the tone of some official messaging about safety in the capital.
City Hall publications and partner organisations continue to describe London as a safe global city and emphasise measures taken to protect residents and visitors. At the same time, commentators have highlighted the sheer volume of sexual offences recorded by police and the frequency with which rape is reported in the city.
Campaigners and victim‑support groups argue that the gap between official reassurance and lived experience remains significant, pointing to persistent under‑reporting, long waits in the criminal justice system and the concentration of sexual violence against women and girls.
What happens next
Full, official Met Police and Greater London Authority statistical releases for 2026 will provide more detailed breakdowns by borough, victim age, offender profile and case outcome later in the year. For now, the first‑quarter snapshot – 2,250 rapes, 6,716 sexual offences and over 16,000 stalking and harassment offences in just 90 days – is likely to fuel further debate about how safe London really is for women and girls, and how that reality is communicated to the public.
At England Then And Now we will continue to track these figures and the political responses to them, as part of our wider effort to record what life in twenty‑first‑century England actually looks like behind the slogans.