Friend giving safety tips for London?

I consider myself pretty streetwise and have lived in London for nearly 2 decades and still travel in several times month for work. Despite this is failed to notice the phone muggers on their bikes when I visited the area around St James's Palace. It's a newer phenomenon and I would have appreciated a warning. My colleague just told me after we has passed them.

Haha my sister does the same, because you know, us still living in the provinces. The fact that I'm older and had been to London as well as many other capitals globally whilst she was still in nappies seems to pass her by.

She's being ridiculous

as everyone has said, it depends on the advice
If it's time and location specific 'Hey guys there has been a spate of muggings on the [line you are going to take] with people using [specific tactic] over the last week so just be extra careful,' then fair enough.

If it's 'Don't forget to stand on the right and don't leave your bags unattended/remember to look both ways before crossing the road,' then yeah it's a bit weird.

I'd be tempted to either leave it or give a jokey 'okay mum,' reply initially and see how she is when you actually get there.

If she carries on giving the whole 'Native Londoner' spiel you can cut it down quite easily by out-patronising her 'X I know you've only lived in London for a year but this is all really basic stuff,' or playing her at her own game by telling her something really obvious "X did you know you can pay for the tube with your contactless card?" Then when she says 'Um, yeah, of course, everyone knows that?' you can reply with 'Oh, okay, it's just you kept telling us all this really obvious stuff so I assumed you weren't very confident/hadn't gone out and about much yet.' Or just the straightforward 'X I'm not sure why you're telling us this as if we've never left the shire before?'

LOL. I've got a friend who lives in London and does this sort of thing. I think people who live in London sometimes think they own it a bit. Just tolerate it, or gently take the mick.

I live here and can’t think of any safety tips I’d give specific to London that aren’t standard city street sense tips.

can anyone think of one?

Depends on the tips really. If they’re super local (e.g - don’t walk through the square outside Woolwich station ) yabu.

if it’s more like “be aware of pickpockets on the tube” than YANBU.

Maybe she has forgotten how often you have been in London. Maybe your other friend is less familiar and she sent the info to both of you. Maybe she has had recent guests who requested/were grateful for her tips so now she sends them to all prospective guests. Maybe she thinks you have a carefree attitude to risk and she worries about you. Maybe she's just a worrier.

She is a Country born and bred person, so I did see fit to warn her as she’s very trusting.( Or was!)

I was amazed she had the nous to grab the child- I don’t think I would have dared!
😂

"You don't need to worry, I have been to London before 😉!" if you want to say something.

Obviously these are the things she worries about

@breezeofqinter

I can't imagine offering someone coming to London safety tips.

What were her tips. OP?

There's no one more "London" than someone who's relatively new to it, OP.

Roll your eyes in private. Try not to giggle at the accident she'll have adopted. She'll calm down eventually!

What part is she in?

Depends on the area she lives in ?

Some areas more than others do need a slight warning !

I would probably be irritated, but I was in London today and couldn't believe the number of people wandering around with their phone in their back jeans pocket. (Also, who wears jeans when it's this muggy?!).

I sometimes think of starting a public mugging agency where I grab phones from back pockets and hand them straight back but of course would never do it as it would be enormously cunty.

Impossible to say whether you are right to be offended without knowing the advice.

I don't think it's patronising, but perhaps it reflects her own insecurities of being there. Perhaps she struggles a bit at the moment and feels vulnerable herself.

A plastic Londoner 😂
What the hell are you on about?

Basic common sense

BUT I’m currently walking dog en route to park with phone out- In a fairly big City
But it’s an old phone - New phones have a different look to them with more lenses on the back.

Wow it's been decades since I've heard (read) 'south of the river' as some sort of no go zone @LlynTegid! You realise we are very respectable down here now and no more dangerous than any other part of London!
OP I was once told by my driving instructor (I was 24) to 'be careful' when I told him I was going to town (I worked outside London). I just said 'you know I live there'!

Come on OP, what are the blooming tips?

Maybe she has watched the latest Despatches episode and was just looking out for you. Say thanks and forget about it if the tips are of no use!

Id find it patronising

Best advice would be keep yoir possessions in a zipped pocket and don't walk along texting. Same advice as a lot of places nowadays sadly

I think it's a current social media obsession atm. I've seen loads of videos on tiktok/insta these last two weeks all about how if you step foot in London you'll have your phone nicked.

It's part of the London bubble effect, where people who live in London think that they're the centre of the Known Universe, and forget that millions of other people across the UK also live in major cities.....