South London has seen several stabbings and shootings in the past year, so do residents and visitors feel safe?
The boroughs of Croydon and Sutton have all seen major incidents in the past year.
In early January 2026, a woman was rushed to hospital after being found with multiple stab wounds In Brighton Road in South Croydon.
Towards the end of the month, a 17-year-old boy was found with a slash wound around his stomach in Grove Park in Carshalton.
With these incidents in mind, we’re asking south Londoners: do you still feel safe in your local area?
Vote in our poll below.
Last year also saw several high-profile knife crime incidents in the area.
In May 2025, 26-year-old Marjama Osman was stabbed to death at a property in Frith Road in Croydon before collapsing in the street despite desperate efforts from members of the public to save her.
Later that summer, 41-year-old Anthony Morrison was shot dead outside Costco In Imperial Way in June 2025 while attending a funeral wake, in a daylight attack that left shoppers and staff fleeing for cover.
Croydon also saw a number of high-profile historic murder cases move through the courts in 2025, including the jailing of two young men for the 2023 stabbing of 22-year-old Lucas Sutton, who was ambushed and chased before collapsing outside a Pawsons Road pub.
The Office for National Statistics reports that knife-enabled crime across England and Wales fell by five per cent in the year to June 2025, and by nine per cent in the year to September 2025.
In London, knife crime recorded by the Metropolitan Police remained broadly stable up to the middle of 2025, before dropping by 11 per cent in the latest year-on-year figures. Police and City Hall argue this points to fewer people being seriously injured.
Last month, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer spoke to Your Local Guardian about youth crime and community safety during a visit to Ikea in Croydon town centre with Croydon West MP Sarah Jones.
Sir Keir said creating safe spaces and activities for young people was crucial, highlighting the government’s first youth strategy in many years.
He said: “If you give young people something to do, then there’s a high likelihood that crime and other issues like that go down.
“If you don’t, you’re leaving children and young people to fend for themselves.”
Ms Jones acknowledged Croydon had experienced “a few awful cases of young homicides” in recent years but said there were signs of improvement, adding that homicides across London were “falling quite dramatically”.
As debates continue over policing, youth services and community investment, we want to know how you feel.
Do you feel safe living in south London following recent stabbings and shootings?
Have your say in our poll and share your thoughts in the comments.
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