That was an anomaly for February, and is a good example of how statistics are manipulated by the media to fit a narrative:

https://metro.co.uk/2018/07/15/new-york-murder-rate-is-much-...

London is safer that New York on almost every measure, but NYC has come a long way over the past 20 years.

From the article:

"Where could a public health approach to violence be introduced next? One possibility is London, where in 2017 knife crime among under-25s reached a five-year high. In recent months, the Metropolitan Police commissioner, Cressida Dick, and the mayor, Sadiq Khan, have been among those calling for a public health approach."

Just to add a few details, Cressida Dick is the person who ordered the execution of a brasilian electrician, down in the London Underground. It does not surprise me that aristocrats are in favour of a medical approach to crime: to help enforce the state monopoly on violence itself.