Most murders in London over the past year have been committed by foreigners, it has been revealed by official figures from Scotland Yard.

In all the murders carried out between April and September, 55% of the suspects are foreign. They come from a diverse range of countries – Peru, China, Albania, Romania, Lithuania, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The crimes committed by foreigners are causing difficulties for detectives, as they find it hard to understand motives and deal with the language barrier. Also, cultural differences play a big part, with “honour killing” and revenge murders stemming from village rivalries in Albania.

The crimes are becoming ever more expensive to solve, with police often having to travel abroad to find suspects, liaise with foreign officials and deal with family members.It is not only London where immigrants are causing increasing problems. In Hertfordshire, police investigated a murder with links to an Albania clan feud and in Cambridgeshire, a Lithuanian man was burnt alive in a case which involved rivalries originating in Lithuania.

Not only are the investigations costly in terms of police time, they also cost a large amount in translation – Scotland Yard is already £1million over budget for interpreters.