Mayor Sadiq Khan and the Metropolitan Police have been urged to drive down the number of acid attacks in London which do not result in a suspect being criminally charged.
It comes as a suspected acid attack outside Westminster Academy, near Paddington, this week left two teenagers and a staff member with injuries.
The teens – a 14-year-old girl and 16-year-old boy – were rushed to hospital on Monday along with a member of staff who was hurt as she tried to help them.
Scotland Yard spent days hunting for the suspect and revealed they had arrested a 35-year-old man on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm on Thursday morning.
But according to data released by City Hall, only about one in seven recorded acid attacks in London in recent years have resulted in charges being brought against suspects.
Only 15.7 per cent of such offences resulted in charges in the 2019/20 financial year, compared with 16.5 per cent in 2020/21, 12.2 per cent in 2021/22 and 13.3 per cent in 2022/23.
The average of those years is 14.43 per cent – or roughly one in seven.
More recently, in the 2023/24 financial year, only 6.9 per cent of offences have resulted in charges, and in the period spanning April to August of this year, the rate is just 3.2 per cent. However, both of these more recent rates are likely to increase over time, as it can often take many months for a suspect to be charged.
The statistics were requested from the mayor’s office by Gareth Roberts, a Liberal Democrat member of the London Assembly, who said: “Acid attacks have an extraordinarily devastating impact on victims ranging not only from physical scars but also the emotional and psychological trauma inflicted…
“The Mayor of London and Met Police must do more to ensure the investigation of these heinous crimes is prioritised and met with the full force of the law.”
Mr Roberts, who is also leader of Richmond-upon-Thames Council, said he appreciated however that “changes in legislation by the Government around the sale of corrosive substances do appear to have had an impact on bringing down the total number of acid attacks in London”.
While 278 acid attack offences were recorded in the 2019/20 financial year, the figure more than halved in 2020/21 to 133. The number of offences has remained significantly lower in the years since, with 82 recorded in 2021/22, 90 in 2022/23 and 87 in 2023/24. Some 31 offences were recorded between April and August this year.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “All serious assaults are investigated as a priority. We do not underestimate the shock and concern that acid attacks cause, and, as has been seen this week in Westminster, police will respond and work alongside partners and the community.
“We have trained all of our officers to deal with first aid of victims, and placed treatment kits in all response cars across London.
“We have also worked with the national police lead to make changes to the Crown Prosecution charging advice, and ensured strong cases at court leading to tough sentences.
“We supported Home Office work to bring in voluntary commitments from retailers to not sell dangerous products to under 18’s, and we have focused on prevention and awareness work in partnership with other emergency services by delivering presentations to schools.”
A spokesman for Mr Khan said: “The mayor is clear that there must be a zero-tolerance approach to these types of appalling acid attacks and fully supports the Met working closely with partners and the local community to ensure these abhorrent incidents receive the best possible response, to build a safer London for all.”