Almost a quarter of Londoners have been attacked or threatened with violence in the past five years, a shocking new poll has found

• The violence in London will cost the taxpayer £7 billion by 2023

Almost one in four Londoners have been attacked or threatened with violence in the past five years, a shocking new poll has found.

Research by the Center for Social Justice (CSJ) showed that approximately 2 million people had been victims of violence or were threatened during the period.

The shocking figure comes as analysis shows that violence in London will have cost taxpayers around £7 billion by 2023.

The poll, commissioned by the CSJ and conducted by Survation, found that a tenth of Londoners know someone who has owned an illegal gun and nine percent of residents believe it would be possible to get one themselves .

One in ten people feel at risk of becoming a victim of crime by gang members who wield guns and knives.

More than half of those surveyed want the police to be on foot and accessible in their area more often.

Nearly two-thirds of respondents also said they support the power of police to use stop-and-search.

The results come as more teenage murders were recorded in London in 2023 than the previous year.

More broadly, in England and Wales, almost 18 percent of knife and gun crimes resulting in a warning or conviction were committed by children aged 10 to 17.

The CSJ report, Serious Violence in London, also shows that crime disproportionately affects the poorest, with 40 percent more crimes recorded in the poorest areas than in the richest areas.

Nikita Malik from the Center for Social Justice said: ‘With almost one in four Londoners having been attacked or threatened with violence in the last five years, it is not surprising that they are demanding more from the police. They want them to become more visible and proactive: they carry out stop-and-search, are involved in schools and sports clubs and are part of London’s communities.”