Drill and rap lyrics are increasingly being used as evidence in British courts. But violent music should not be treated as autobiography, nor performance as proof of participation in violent crime.

AOAV’s review of unsolved murders in London over the past decade found that cases are far more likely to remain unresolved when the victim is a young Black man or when the killing involves a firearm, raising questions about trust in policing, witness cooperation and unequal access to justice.

London recorded its lowest homicide rate in over a decade in 2025, but this decline masked sharp increases in domestic abuse-related killings of women, murders of elderly victims, and teenage involvement in violence, highlighting deepening vulnerabilities despite overall progress.

In 2024, Greater London recorded 102 homicides, with knife crime still the leading cause of death but shootings on the rise and a worrying surge in teenage offenders. Black individuals remained disproportionately affected as both victims and suspects, and the City of Westminster, along with several East London boroughs, emerged as new hotspots for lethal violence.

The police raid on a peaceful, non-violent meeting in a Quaker Meeting House is a stark warning that the UK risks criminalising conscience and eroding the democratic right to dissent.