NYC's Murder Rate Lower Than London's For First Time Ever: Report

NEW YORK, NY — America's safest big city is now safer than one of its rivals across the pond. London's murder rate topped New York City's for the first time ever in recent months as police probed a spate of stabbings in the United Kingdom's capital city, The Times of London reported Monday.

London saw 15 murders in February while New York recorded 14, according to The Times. The latest figures for March showed 23 slayings in London but just 21 in New York, the paper reported.

London police reportedly said there have been 12 murders in just 19 days. Some 31 of the city's 46 murders so far this year resulted from knife attacks, The Times reported.

New York City saw fewer than 300 murders last year, the lowest number since the 1950s, according to city officials. The NYPD has recorded 54 this year as of March 25, down from 61 at the same time last year.

London saw just 116 murders last year, but the number has climbed since hitting a low of 94 in 2014, The Times reported.

Read the full Times of London story here.

(Lead image: Photo by George Antonatos/Shutterstock)