Is London now a scary place?

Wheres Me Jumper?

like most Irish people, I visited the English many, many times, and have worked/lived there for quite a few years.

since returning home, i visited London for the first time in over 10 years . i was shocked at how violent the place had become. on 1 day travelling into the centre, i witnessed half a dozen violent incidents. i'm not talking about a few harsh words being exchanged, this was full on assaults.

in one incident a beggar was kicked in the head, and had a pint of beer poured over him by a group of young lads.

am i over-reacting or has London become a really violent place?

How Soon Is Now

Is London in Ireland? No

Couldn't give ****e if they all batter each other so!

ceadaoin.

Lived there for about 5 years and it was fine, I really liked it. Now granted, I left about 6 years ago but could things really have degenerated that much in such a relatively short time period? I'm not so sure. What could possibly account for this?

DEFTLEFTHAND

Crime has definitely risen over the past couple of years.

Police are more interested in investigating people for making jokes on the internet than hunting down moped gangs and the like.

donkeykong5

No where in London have I ever seen open drug deals taking place like goes on in Dublin daily. Also constant police patrolling streets in twos. A rare sight in Dublin.

dashoonage

Heading over myself in May to take part in the purge...cant wait!

Wheres Me Jumper?

when i returned i asked my brother in law, who is a Londoner true 'n true, about the violence i had witnessed.
he said it's always like that, and that as soon as they can afford it they are getting out.

stimpson

There are 10 million people in London. A fair few are scum but not all. I go on business now and then and have no issues walking around after dark. I’d know where to avoid though.

lbc2019

Never had an issue in London

donkeykong5

donkeykong5 wrote: »

No where in London have I ever seen open drug deals taking place like goes on in Dublin daily. Also constant police patrolling streets in twos. A rare sight in Dublin.

Really? Maybe I got the wrong impression from the gentlemen outside tube stations naming a few drugs for everyone to hear. :pac:

lbc2019

The only place where I was openly offered drugs was Spain

Billy86

donkeykong5 wrote: »

No where in London have I ever seen open drug deals taking place like goes on in Dublin daily. Also constant police patrolling streets in twos. A rare sight in Dublin.

That is because London on the whole is considerably safer than Dublin (which in itself isn`t exactly dangerous in my 28 or so years living there). It is also 10 times the size though, so bulk numbers of crime will of course be much higher.

Mint Sauce

Not sure I would call London a scary place. I lived there till the age of 19, and return up to 3 times a year since, I have ocassionaly felt maybe this pub/street is a bit dodgy and went on my way, but have never felt unsafe. Yes I might feel a little bit more wary of date, be more aware of surroundings, and tell cousins/friends to txt when home if on a night out together, but would probably do the same here. Incidents have always happened there, not sure if its an increase, or maybe you just hear about them more due to increased news/social media. I too am yet to witness violent attacks when over. I have seen stupidity, heated arguements, verbal assults, but never violence, and hope I never do. Its a wonderful city, that am proud to be from.

Outlaw Pete

Certainly seems to be. Guy I knew from when I was a kid was fatally stabbed there last year. His family are still in shock.

https://extra.ie/2018/05/28/news/irish-news/gearoid-gaffney-stabbed-london

branie2

Only in certain parts of the city

Edgware

donkeykong5 wrote: »

No where in London have I ever seen open drug deals taking place like goes on in Dublin daily. Also constant police patrolling streets in twos. A rare sight in Dublin.

A lot of the uniforms on the street in London are Community Support officers, not that that is a problem.
Dublin and other urban areas need uniformed gardai on foot patrolling around, meeting people, checking out young gangs etc.
I was surprised meeting a few on bikes going through a public park where a number of matches were being played. They stopped to have a look at the game and then on through the car park. People were happy to see them

FTA69

I find I see more scraps and general guff in Ireland than London but all of that is subjective. There have been four murders on the road that I live on, but I’ve never once felt unsafe here. That having been said, I wouldn’t like to be a 17 year old black kid living around here as things are mad on that front. The stories I hear in my boxing club are saddening and terrifying in equal measure.

Compared to the early-2000s violence crime is down, but it has been rising steadily. There are social and economic reasons behind this that are complex. Firstly the cops have been slashed to the bone by the government, they are a shadow of their former selves. There’s something ridiculous like 30% less police on our streets now. Secondly, youth and community programs have also been scrapped and funding cut, thus leading to young people getting up to no good. Lastly, housing is tiny and unaffordable, entire families are in one bed flats, so teenage kids are pushed out onto the streets. Parents are often working 70+ hours a week in jobs that don’t pay enough so kids are left to their own devices.

It’s not all that simple, but the above factors are big ones in my view.

Your Face

It's a Right Royal Cockney Barrel of Monkeys.

turdball

No if you have any street smarts about you.

Andrew00

Moped robberies uk

Don't know what dodgy areas the op is hanging out in, London is no more dangerous than any other large city.

GAA Beo

Birmingham is another ****hole. London is ridiculously big, far too big for me, I would never move there. Certainly much more crime and violence in recent years. Seems to be more knife crime than gun crime. I think the numbers of Irish people moving to both cities is a lot lower these days and more leaving them. There are far nicer places to live in England. That said I'm sure London will always attract Irish over, it's more of a global city.

Samuel T. Cogley

It really depends on what you count as London. Certain places are, and have always been no go areas, some places are extremely nice indeed. I've never felt unsafe in the square mile.

cmac2009

Feel safer in London than in Dublin.

mzungu

Fellas smashing bass guitars all over the place...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vHvzybkqfo

donkeykong5

Outlaw Pete wrote: »

Certainly seems to be. Guy I knew from when I was a kid was fatally stabbed there last year. His family are still in shock.

https://extra.ie/2018/05/28/news/irish-news/gearoid-gaffney-stabbed-london

Yeah . Remember his name was on the academy building. People in Brixton were disgusted about what happened to the poor guy.

facehugger99

Wheres Me Jumper? wrote: »

. on 1 day travelling into the centre, i witnessed half a dozen violent incidents. i'm not talking about a few harsh words being exchanged, this was full on assaults.

Spent 5 days there before Christmas, didn't witness anything.

donkeykong5

cmac2009 wrote: »

Feel safer in London than in Dublin.

Any day. !

Some Yoke

Cromwells ghost is known to steal potatoes from the fanny packs of unwitting Irish tourists in London so ya spooky enough

For Forks Sake

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

Crime has definitely risen over the past couple of years.

Police are more interested in investigating people for making jokes on the internet than hunting down moped gangs and the like.

https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/london/police-ram-moped-muggers-off-their-bikes/

KevinCavan

Saw a show on Netflix showing how gangs on mopeds are stealing mobile phones in London, in broad daylight. Knife crime is very common there, many teenagers carry knives habitually. Also gangsters will throw acid in the face of somebody trying to defend their shop, etc. The Irish scumbag is nicer it seems than their London equivalent.

Borana

donkeykong5 wrote: »

Any day. !

Is it because there is a higher possibility of receiving a snarky comment on the looks or personality in Dublin at any given moment?

wakka12

We must have gone on different days. I was there just March last year and travelled the centre extensively and didnt witness even one minor violent incident, it just seemed like the vibrant diverse and fascinating city I had always remembered it being , sad to hear it has apparently gone so violent in 9 months ...

FTA69

Nothing really happens in central London because it's largely a sterile enough place, vast majority of it is tourists and business. Things happen in the zones 2/3 parts of the city and in places like Croydon.

Sardonicat

Some Yoke wrote: »

Cromwells ghost is known to steal potatoes from the fanny packs of unwitting Irish tourists in London so ya spooky enough

Fanny packs?
Round these parts that's a slang term for a tampon.
Do you mean 'bum bags'?

Franz Von Peppercorn

Dublin isn’t unsafe really but it feels unsafe in certain areas. The gangs exist but tend to shoot each other.

London is safe. Again gangs exist but tend to stab each other.

Franz Von Peppercorn

Wheres Me Jumper? wrote: »

like most Irish people, I visited the English many, many times, and have worked/lived there for quite a few years.

since returning home, i visited London for the first time in over 10 years . i was shocked at how violent the place had become. on 1 day travelling into the centre, i witnessed half a dozen violent incidents. i'm not talking about a few harsh words being exchanged, this was full on assaults.

in one incident a beggar was kicked in the head, and had a pint of beer poured over him by a group of young lads.

am i over-reacting or has London become a really violent place?

Where were you coming from and where did you go through? Presumably it was a bus.

KingofSheep

Been living in central London for 7 years. I have never witnessed any violence as was described in the OP. I live in one moderately rough area and work in another more dodge part of the city. However, there are well reported episodes of violence that happen relatively frequently. But it usually only involves specific demographics. Young black boys stabbing each other to death being the most obvious example. As is the case in most big cities, having your head screwed on usually leads to an avoidance of trouble.

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts

I’m still haunted by this London crime from a decade ago:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Cross_double_murder

Poor lads. And they were only staying in the UK for three months, doing scientific research. Truly the nightmare burglary everyone fears. To compare it to my own burglary experience, the burglar that broke into my flat actually apologised to me when he realised that there was someone in the flat. He clearly thought nobody was home. This is the head of one of the lads who perpetrated the above murders.



Imagine that being the last face you see?

The actress Gemma Chan was a witness at a trial a few years back because she saw a man stab another man to death right in front of her outside a tube station in central London in broad daylight. Apparently it was a totally random attack. :eek:

Anyway, that’s two London incidents that have freaked the shît out of me.

RhubarbCrumble

lbc2019 wrote: »

The only place where I was openly offered drugs was Spain

Portugal for me. Right outside the police station at one point!

Wheres Me Jumper?

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts wrote: »

I’m still haunted by this London crime from a decade ago:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Cross_double_murder

Poor lads. And they were only staying in the UK for three months, doing scientific research. Truly the nightmare burglary everyone fears. To compare it to my own burglary experience, the burglar that broke into my flat actually apologised to me when he realised that there was someone in the flat. He clearly thought nobody was home. This is the head of one of the lads who perpetrated the above murders.



Imagine that being the last face you see?

The actress Gemma Chan was a witness at a trial a few years back because she saw a man stab another man to death right in front of her outside a tube station in central London in broad daylight. Apparently it was a totally random attack. :eek:

Anyway, that’s two London incidents that have freaked the shît out of me.

i lived on the same street as Denis Nilsen in Cranley Gdns. in Highgate. it often occurs to me that i probably shared a tube carraige with him. :eek:

branie2

RhubarbCrumble wrote: »

Portugal for me. Right outside the police station at one point!

Did the police notice this?!

RhubarbCrumble

branie2 wrote: »

Did the police notice this?!

Didn't bat an eyelid.

dubrov

The OP should play the lottery as the odds of seeing 6 violent incidents on a single day trip to the centre of London are astronomical.

lbc2019

Samuel T. Cogley wrote: »

It really depends on what you count as London. Certain places are, and have always been no go areas, some places are extremely nice indeed. I've never felt unsafe in the square mile.

They robbed us all blind

lbc2019

RhubarbCrumble wrote: »

Portugal for me. Right outside the police station at one point!

Drugs are largely decriminalised in Portugal now arent they?

lbc2019

Tory Austerity fcuks poor people the hardest

4068ac1elhodqr

'Wild West Britian':

20% of (all Eng&Wales stats) population fell victim to a crime last year.
(highest crime levels since 2002) only 8.2% conviction rate.

Violent crimes +19% (1.5million)
Homicides/Kill Rate +14% (128 in London)
Knife Crime +12% (ethnic gangs mostly), circa 100 incidents per day
Stalking and harassment +41%
Public Order offences +24% (427,134 recorded)
Robberies +17%

Statistics show that thieves stole 457,433 vehicles in year to September 2018

Overall crime was +7% (5,723,182) for 2018.
Roll the Brexit there Rosin.

Wheres Me Jumper?

Franz Von Peppercorn wrote: »

Where were you coming from and where did you go through? Presumably it was a bus.

no it was by tube, from Romford into Westminster. another incident we saw was where this black guy was having a domestic with his g/f. she was white. he punched her really hard. her phone went flying down the platform. she was yelling like a scalded cat. her face was spouting blood. as per usual everybody just kept hurrying along.
didn't bother me too much, but when you got kids with you ...

Franz Von Peppercorn

Wheres Me Jumper? wrote: »

no it was by tube, from Romford into Westminster. another incident we saw was where this black guy was having a domestic with his g/f. she was white. he punched her really hard. her phone went flying down the platform. she was yelling like a scalded cat. her face was spouting blood. as per usual everybody just kept hurrying along.
didn't bother me too much, but when you got kids with you ...

So all of the incidents happened on one carriage?

branie2

I visited London a few times, and nothing bad happened to me there