London stabbing and shooting deaths put city on par with New York for homicide

As big cities go, London is safe.

In a population of 8.8 million people, it had 130 homicides last year, far less than the 292 in New York, a slightly smaller metropolis that is among the safest big U.S. cities.

But a recent surge in London killings — many of them by stabbing — has sparked growing...