By
Press Association 2021
A Metropolitan Police officer
Britain’s biggest police force is reviewing all the domestic killings of children last year amid fears that lockdown may have contributed to an increase in the number of deaths.
The number of homicides in London fell from 150 in 2019 to 126 in 2020 but there was a rise in the number of domestic killings.
Data from the Metropolitan Police showed that there were 22 domestic homicides in 2020, up from 16 in 2019. The 2020 figure includes 12 children, compared with seven in 2019.
All the child deaths are under review by the force and other support services.
Commander Dave McLaren said: “It is fair to say that mental health has played a part in a number of those crimes this year and it isn’t a massive leap of faith to say that lockdown has an impact on all of us in terms of our wellbeing.