London’s top police officer has claimed that rival cities and state actors are deliberately amplifying online content portraying the capital as dangerous, despite its "massively safe" reality.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley specifically accused Iran and Russia, alongside cities competing for tourism, of magnifying social media posts that characterise London as "lawless".
This assertion follows the release of statistics showing a significant decline in crime across the city. Neighbourhood crime, which includes theft, robbery, and burglary, fell by 14 per cent – equating to more than 35,000 fewer offences – in the 12 months leading up to June.
Additionally, the number of homicides involving a knife or sharp instrument recorded by police in England and Wales has reached its lowest level in 35 years.
Speaking outside Holborn Police Station in central London on Thursday, Sir Mark told the Press Association: “There are culture wars out there, and frankly, we’re routinely invited to join one side or the other, we politely decline that.
“We get on with doing our job without fear or favour. Look, there are hostile states out there, Russia and Iran, who try to undermine stability in other countries.
“They are magnifying some of this content. Then there are competitor cities who want to undermine London, but London is massively safe.”
Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan said negative stories about London are amplified by Maga (Make America Great Again) influencers and rival cities such as Brussels and Barcelona, who want to be “spiky” about the capital.
Speaking to the Press Association, Sir Sadiq said: “So, two things are happening: one is you’re seeing bot farms across the world, from Vietnam to Sri Lanka, where people are churning out this negative stuff about London. Why? Because it makes them money.
“And secondly, you’re seeing state actors, whether it’s Russia, China… we’ve seen Maga-influenced actors in the USA spreading disinformation, misinformation, and lies.”
Sir Sadiq also revealed that in the past two years “we’ve seen a 200% increase in stories on social media about London being in quote unquote ‘decline’ or London being dangerous.” Those claims have mushroomed on social media and have been echoed by right-leaning politicians, often tied to anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim views.
A big chunk of that online ire is aimed at London’s first Muslim mayor. Khan, who has led London since 2016, has been the target of insults from X owner Elon Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump, who has called him a “stone-cold loser” and a “terrible, terrible mayor.”
“If the social media companies don’t sort themselves out, I think there’s got to be regulation,” he said.
Statistics released on Thursday showed a drop of 23% (23,311) in thefts from people, 11% (2,943) in personal robberies and 9% (8,737) in vehicle offences in London.
Offences dropped by more than a third in Westminster, with nearly 14,000 fewer offences during the year, while the Met’s largest crackdown on phone thefts resulted in 13,000 fewer mobile phone thefts across London and numbers halving in the West End.
“That’s a phenomenal effort,” Sir Mark told PA.
“And it’s both classic policing – brilliant officers on the streets making a difference – as well as supported by clever technologies such as facial recognition cameras helping us capture wanted offenders, or drones that are helping us deal with dangerous people on e-bikes.”
Sir Mark claimed a minority of people are “whipping up” baseless concerns over the force’s use of live facial recognition (LFR) technology.
He said the majority of Londoners support the force’s use of AI face identification and drones, adding that survey data suggests about 80% are in favour.
LFR, which was rolled out to all police forces in England and Wales in January, has been widely criticised by human rights groups for infringing on civil liberties.
“There’s a minority of people trying to whip up concern,” Sir Mark said.
“We all live in a world where every business, everything we interact with, is using technology more, and Londoners want police to be using technology to protect them, and that’s what they’re seeing us do.
“In fact, I’ve seen some evidence that they’re actually more concerned that as technology accelerates, will policing keep up with that? So, they’re really supportive of what we’re doing.”
Campaign group Liberty has claimed the technology “tracks and monitors” people as they go about their daily lives, arguing that it puts ethnic minorities at greater risk of being misidentified.
However, Sir Sadiq said the use of the technology was a “proportionate response that is required”.
“We need more bodies on the beat, and we need tools to invest in technology,” he said.
Last year, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said the Met’s policy over LFR was “unlawful” because it is “incompatible” with human rights laws.
The equalities watchdog said the force’s rules and safeguards over using the tool “fall short” and could have a “chilling effect” on individuals’ rights when used at protests.
In August 2025, EHRC chief executive John Kirkpatrick said: “The law is clear: everyone has the right to privacy, to freedom of expression and to freedom of assembly.
“These rights are vital for any democratic society.
“As such, there must be clear rules which guarantee that live facial recognition technology is used only where necessary, proportionate and constrained by appropriate safeguards.”
The Met trialled LFR in August 2016 at the Notting Hill Carnival, and first officially deployed the technology in 2020.
Additional reporting by AP.
