20 knife crimes a day make London the crime capital

The disclosure came as new figures also showed that 7,248 knife crimes were committed in the capital last year - equivalent to a third of all the nonfatal offences in England and Wales and a rate of 20 stabbings a day.

Other statistics released today show London has the highest rate of overall offending and the worst record in the country for car crime and theft, while a third of residents believe the city is blighted by high levels of drunkenness and drug abuse.

The figures, released today in a Home Office report on crime in 2007/8, will raise questions about the Met's performance despite statistics published by the force showing sharp falls in crime over recent years.

The figures show an overall national fall in crime of nine per cent in recorded offences. They came as senior Home Office official Professor Paul Wiles said the economic downturn may prompt a surge in property crime. "Depending on the extent of the downturn, that will put upward pressure on property crime and it is a matter of at which point it triggers that upward pressure," he said.

The new knife crime figures show that across England and Wales there were 22,151 serious violent crimes involving a knife or sharp instrument - one fifth of serious violent crime. They included 231 attempted murders, nearly 14,000 robberies and more than 8,000 woundings. Londoners are more at risk of attack than anyone else in the country with 230 residents out of every 10,000 becoming a victim last year, compared with a national average of 179.

Robbery rates are higher in London than anywhere else, and the risk of being raped or suffering another form of sex attack is well above average.

There has also been a surge in credit card fraud. It rose by a fifth last year to a total of 2.7 million offences, with losses up by a quarter to £535 million.

Separate statistics published today also give the first breakdown of serious violent crimes using knives and show that London's total of 7,428 is three times greater than the next highest total of 2,294 for Greater Manchester.

It is also well above the West Midlands total of 2,303.

Although part of the discrepancy will reflect London's greater population, the figures will reinforce concerns that the capital, where 16 teenagers have died in stabbings so far this year, has a serious knife crime problem.

Other figures in today's report, from the British Crime Survey, show a third of the capital's residents believe there is a high level of drug use or dealing, and 31 per cent say there are high levels of drunkenness and rowdy behaviour.

More positively, more than half - 55 per cent - of Londoners said they have confidence in the police.