Friend giving safety tips for London?

Laughing at somebody else is uncool no matter where one lives.
Stop trying to justify it.

Be glad you have a friend that cares about you, plenty on here don't...........

I lived in dodgy areas to find the locals friendly and welcoming. Your friend is an idiot. The touristy areas are where you go to get ripped off and murdered

Sit your friend down and explain that you are more than capable of looking after yourself and you think that she's the one who's nervous. Tell her you can advise her if she wants

When she gets her hackles up, tell her that's how you feel, now, will she kindly put a bleeding sock in it.

Well you know her better than we do. Is she usually patronising? If so, it's probably time to ease back on the friendship if it annoys you. If not, she is genuinely trying to be considerate and you ought to give her the benefit of the doubt imo. I expect she knows it better than you do since she lives there and might have noticed some new, evolving scams aimed at visitors, or big increases in certain crimes such as phone theft from electric bikes.

are you for real?

Since when do we need to "dress understated" in London? 😂
Anything goes, that's literally the beauty of that town.

Yes, there are pickpockets like everywhere else, but chill out.

I grew up in London. Safety tips have always been necessary...more seem necessary every decade! My cousin visited the central more touristy areas with me a few weeks back. She's been before but it's been awhile. So I gently reminded her to dress understated, no gold jewellery, no phones out anymore than necessary, use a crossbody bag with your hand over it due to pick pockets etc. I doubt she was offended. It's what we do for people we care about surely?

@Ojjjjnv snap!!

I'm always surprised to see smartphones in the back pocket of many people, crying out to be nicked.

SE London here and lots of yobs on bikes nicking kids phones so I'd like to know that kind of thing.

Not read the whole thread. We live in SELondon and literally the local Facebook has been alerting everyone on safety tips for over a week when it comes to phone snatching and teens on bikes. So whilst I wouldn't be so patronizing as to give safety tips to others. I definitely feel like around where we live, people do need to be careful and this is a very naice area according to MN.

I'm currently visiting London and haven't felt the need for any safety tips.

What a muppet your friend is.

You are not wrong. And most of the other half thinks anyone outside the M25 is running around in woad.

There are tips about phone safety but I'm a bit scared to give them now in case I'm being patronising. Disclaimer it is my job to give people London safety tips. Which yes apply anywhere but you probably don't have to worry about it as much elsewhere.

Obviously don't look at it as walking along but if you need to look at maps to find something, face inwards towards a building to do so. That way a scooter person is less likely to ride past and grab it out of your hand.

You can also get cross body phone case carriers but don't put them round your neck in case the thief drags you along with it.

This is because specifically in London people on scooters are taking phones out of people's hands and it's quite a recent technique but I'm not trying to be panicky or patronising just saying there are things you can do to mitigate the risk of it happening to you.

Edited for typos.

Yeah that's patronising.
It's just a place (with more reliable transport that most of the rest of the country).

Could not at all for one second get arsed about this, it isn’t patronising at all. Genuinely can’t understand why you’re this put out by it!
And yes I’ve also been a frequent visitor to London over the past 20+ years now it still wouldn’t annoy me one bit. It’s just a friend being kind.

My friend recently had her phone snatched in Central London. I warned another friend who was due to visit from another big city. I don’t think that’s patronising. Maybe be less offended over nothing.

People do know there are pickpockets all over the country right? They might not set up camp there, but even my parents sleepy village has been targeted a couple of times -causing great drama on the local facebook group.

Please tell us the safety tips!!! (I live in London. Had no idea I was at such risk.)

Maybe she read some thing in the news. and decided to remind you to take care.

It does make me chuckle sometimes what people say/ask about London. Safety is often totally a question of perception and rarely relates to how 'scruffy' an area is.

As we know, pickpocketing is an issue in a lot of cities. So is phone theft. London isn't a hotbed of it and it doesn't need any special precautions other than common sense and being aware in the moment.

Like upthread where someone said use a moneybelt or someone else says they use a bum bag . Ummm no, I use a handbag like virtually every other female who lives here. Moneybelts are hot, itchy and uncomfortable and a pain to get into if you need anything. And a bumbag can easily be unclipped from behind unless it's some hugely expensive travel type. Plus they are pig ugly and make you look like you are from the Midwest USA and only got a passport when you retired.

Would love to know what the safety tips were. To be fair I did tell my country bumpkin Kiwi family members to "stand on the bloody right" as they couldn't seem to remember but that was so they didn't get bowled down the escalators in rush hour.

We need to know what the tips were ? I think your friend was just being nice. Why not just see the good in it and have a nice time instead

Yeah I'd find it odd. But I worked there for 10 years 🤣. I wonder if she would do the same for any big city?

How patronising, it's London not Kabul - what "safety tip" does a grown-up need? It's the same common sense that applies in pretty much all cities in the world. It's even safer, tubes and city in general, than many other places.

A specific warning about some dodgy place round the corner, fine.
About "London"? Either your friend has very high level of anxiety, or she has never been anywhere and feels like an explorer because she made it to "the big city" 😂

I assume she either has a bit of an anxiety herself or she has found she wasnt careful enough in some situations. Or perhaps she feels a bit superior in a way now she lives in London.

I wouldnt like it unless if was something super useful and not obvious but dont think it could be any of that for someone who is familiar with big cities and London in particular.
Depends what it it, how much of it is and what is the general tone.

@KreedKafer I've got no idea how often it happens anywhere else, so I'd rather give people a warning if they are visiting me. If they already know, then fine.

It's relatively new to me, so I don't assume everyone knows or it's the same everywhere else.

Depends on the tips but I'd be more inclined to think she just cares about you, like when my mum tells me to drive careful every time I leave her house, even though I make hundreds of journeys successfully without her advice.