The recent fatal stabbing in Shepherd's Bush has sparked a debate in the UK that mirrors concerns about urban violence in Canada and the United States.
'My kids are petrified going to Shepherd's Bush,' says Reform London mayor candidate Laila Cunningham after fatal stabbing.
'It increasingly feels like nowhere is safe,' said Ms Cunningham despite police publishing figures showing London murders at record low per person in 2025.
Reform UK's London mayoral contender Laila Cunningham has told how her children are "petrified" of going to Shepherd's Bush after a fatal stabbing there.
The mother-of-seven launched fresh criticism of Sir Sadiq Khan's record on crime after recent shootings and stabbings in the capital including the murder of a bus driver in Clapham.
Bus driver Auguste-Marie Bile-aka Amoa died after being shot in Clapham.
"My heart goes out to the family of the person killed in Shepherd's Bush...and to those injured. In a matter of seconds, families' lives are changed forever," she posted on X.
"My own kids swim in Shepherd's Bush. They're now petrified of going there. And as their mum so am I.
We were there last weekend. It increasingly feels like nowhere is safe.
Week after week it's another stabbing, another shooting, another family getting the phone call every parent dreads."
Ms Cunningham highlighted the recent fatal shootings in Newham and in Clapham.
"Sadiq Khan can keep telling us London is safe, but that means very little to families living with this fear," she added.
Mayor Sadiq Khan responds
But Sir Sadiq Khan has rejected claims of a "lawless London" with high numbers of shootings and stabbings.
Earlier this week, he hit out at Donald Trump and Nigel Farage's Reform UK who have sought to argue that the capital is plagued by crime.
He posted on X: "The loudest voices online aren't always the most accurate.
New data shows our homicide rate is lower than every US state, while murder rates are at record lows.
The evidence is clear: our approach to tackling crime and its causes works. It's driving down violence right across the capital."
Crime statistics comparison with US cities
Scotland Yard said a man, aged 48, had been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder after a woman was fatally stabbed in Shepherd's Bush, west London.
Police were called to reports of a stabbing shortly before 8.30am on Tuesday, 18 August, at an address on Askew Road, Shepherd's Bush.
Officers attended the scene with the London Ambulance Service where two women, aged 52 and 32, were found with stab wounds.
Despite the best efforts of medical professionals, the older woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
The 32-year-old woman was taken to hospital.
Detective Inspector Richard MacKenzie, who is leading the investigation, said: "We believe this to be an isolated incident within a residential address, but we know it will cause concern locally."
Earlier this year, Met Police chief Sir Mark Rowley published figures showing the number of murders recorded in London dropping to its lowest level per capita since records started.
There were 97 homicides in the capital in 2025, down 36 per cent from 153 in 2019 and 11 per cent fewer than the 109 in 2024.
The Met said last year also had the lowest killings since 95 took place 11 years ago in 2014.
The force stated that 2025 saw a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people - safer than comparable global cities such as New York at 2.8, Paris (1.6), Toronto (1.6), Berlin (3.2), Los Angeles (5.6), Chicago (11.7), and Philadelphia (12.3).
For Canadian cities such as Toronto, the rate is similar, underscoring shared challenges in managing urban safety.
In the United States, cities like New York still record higher rates, highlighting differing policing outcomes.
Just days ago, detectives investigating the murder of 25-year-old Auguste-Marie Bile-aka Amoa renewed their appeal for information.
The Transport for London bus driver died on Willington Road, Clapham, at around 10pm on Monday, 10 August.
Following the shooting, officers arrested a 22-year-old man on suspicion of murder after he attended hospital with a gunshot wound.
He was later discharged and released with no further action following further police enquiries.
Police officers near the scene on St Bartholomew's Road, Newham, east London, where a man in his 40s was found inside a vehicle with gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Separately, detectives launched a murder investigation after a man in his 40s was found inside a vehicle with gunshot wounds at around 3am on Tuesday August 18.
He was pronounced dead at the scene in St Bartholomew's Road, Newham.