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Sir Mark Rowley has been blasted for “parroting selective stats” after claiming London was safe despite knife crime hitting a 13-year high. Critics rounded on the boss of the Metropolitan Police Force after he claimed the city was safe “despite claims circulating online”.

Writing exclusively for the Daily Express, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp MP laid the blame for the surge on the Mayor, Sadiq Khan, saying: “Under Sadiq Khan, stop and search has been cut – and knife crime is up by 60% as a result. Shoplifting and phone snatching have surged. Fear has crept into everyday life.”

He added: “London now accounts for nearly a third of all knife crime in England, and almost half of knife-point robberies, despite making up barely 15% of the population. Phone snatching is now routine, as more than 81,000 phones were stolen last year.”

It comes as figures show knife crime offenses have surged by 86% since Sadiq Khan became Mayor ten years ago, with a staggering 16,879 offences in 2024 alone. Mr Philp warned: “These are crimes happening in broad daylight, outside stations, on busy high streets, in front of witnesses. And almost no one is caught with only one in 20 robberies solved. For theft from the person, the figure is closer to one in 170.”

London Assembly member Susan Hall rounded on Sir Mark for “parroting selective stats” to cover for the Mayor’s “record failure”. Ms Hall said: “Once again, Sir Sadiq Khan has chosen to cherrypick data in order to cover his record failure as our Mayor. Whilst knife homicides may be down, they represent just a small number of outcomes from knife offences.”

She added: “In reality, most Londoners who encounter a knife – such as a robbery – are significantly less likely to see action on that matter, and the number of knife offences in London continues to climb. I am disappointed with our Met Commissioner for parroting these selective stats.”

Conservative MP Katie Lam piled on, saying: “The claim that crime is down in London simply isn’t borne out by the experience of millions of Londoners. Shoplifting is up nearly 50%, pickpocketing is up 38%, theft is up 10%, and knife crime is at a 13-year high.” She warned: “The Mayor of London’s weakness has created a culture of impunity: criminals know they can steal, snatch and intimidate with little fear of being caught.”

The onslaught comes as Metropolitan Police officer numbers have plummeted by 1,712 between June 2024 and September 2025, a drop of more than 5%. Frontline policing has been particularly hard hit, with 801 fewer local officers – a 3.7% decrease – with 625 officers resigning in just six months.

Mr Philp outlined a Conservative blueprint to tackle the crisis, pledging to hire 10,000 extra police officers backed by £800million of funding. He vowed to triple the use of stop and search, taking it back to 2008 levels, and introduce “hotspot policing” in 2,000 high-crime areas to prevent 35,000 offences.

The Shadow Home Secretary said: “Hotspot policing puts officers back where crime actually happens. Officers on the same streets, at the hours crime happens. Week after week, visible enforcement that deters violence.”

He added: “A Conservative government will require every force to deploy live facial recognition routinely in high-crime areas” – technology that has already led to more than 1,000 arrests including a 70% reduction in robbery at Notting Hill Carnival.

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London defended Khan’s record, saying: “Nothing is more important to the Mayor than keeping Londoners safe and he is determined to build on the significant reductions in crime and violence that have been achieved.”

They added: “The latest ONS crime stats show you are less likely to be a victim of violent crime in London than in the rest of England and Wales. Neighbourhood crime, including burglary and theft, is down 14%, with 16,000 fewer offences.”

But Mr Philp dismissed the claims, declaring: “London deserves to feel confident again. Making the city safer is about restoring enforcement, rebuilding trust, and showing Londoners that their safety comes first.”