Is London a crime infested shithole?

Ha ha no, it was actually the cycling/e-scooters on the pavement nearly running over me and stepping over lime bikes left everywhere. Seeing more scary mental health episodes on public transport . 3 days in a row every time I left my flat within 1 minute I saw a road traffic accident normally involving a scooter. It’s just less pleasant than it used to be and more chaotic and I can do better. Although the need for some pretty heavy duty private security patrols tells a story doesn’t it? Time to move.

Can I ask why you used an example of a horrific crime from Surrey to support your argument that London is full of crime?

Haven't checked the stats, but I think some crime is growing, but it's everywhere and not just London.

Phone theft, bike theft, watch stripping, shoplifting - all of these are increasing everywhere. Smelling cannabis as you walk around is now normal. The small Cornish town near me was found to be harbouring the headquarters of the County Lines distribution network for the whole county.

I get the impression that the focus has been on Murder and violent crime, but these sorts of non-violent crimes do seem to be a lot worse. I think the number of stories about people who have had cars stolen, have used the tracking system, found the car, and the police do nothing about it is concerning, although as Insaid I don't know how prevalent this is.

It's one of the safest cities in the world.

Ha ha ha! Excellent!

Oh I hate those American sweet shops that have appeared on oxford st. Oxford St does make me sad. I miss the shops from the 90s/2000s so much. RIP Topshop and others.

Let's check the stats ....

According to crimerate.co.uk, the risk of crime in London is down 17% in the past 10 years. It has ticked up 8% in the past 5 years, but is still far below 2016 rates.

Regarding the various types of crime, theft against the person and robbery are high in London, being respectively 4.64 times the national average and 2.52x. Vehicle theft and bike theft are at about 1.75x the UK average.

Running below the average are criminal damage and arson, public order offences, possession of weapons, and violence & sexual offences (0.81 times the national average).

Greater London Crime and Safety Statistics | CrimeRate https://share.google/iLC7X4XUw3q12AuoG

Very true. I bet the poor people poisoned by agents of Putin in Salisbury didn't think such a terrible thing could happen to them.

You've been listening to Trump and Vance. London crime levels are really not bad. You'll get crime anywhere there are people - and sadly, where there are men, there will be rapists. But no, London is a safe city. And do learn the geography of your country.

Err, I'm fairly sure Goldfinch Bottom, West Berkshire is not on anyone's terrorist hit list.

Having looked it up, I see it's where Greenham Common used to be. I imagine that in the past it may well have been on a terrorist hitlist.

And you don't have to be on a hitlist to have terrifying things happen. Hungerford. Lockerbie. Dunblane.

I’m pretty sure that during the 2011 riots there wasn’t a spate of posts saying “Is London a crime ridden shithole?”. Even though crime was far higher then. Go figure as they used to say.

My litmus test for this is to swap out the word “London” for virtually any other world capital and see what the crime figures are like.

So tedious.

YANBU, OP. After nearly 30 years in London, the change has been stark. We went 25 years without incident. Recently, my son was mugged at knifepoint in central London and had his phone stolen. He chose not to report it, believing nothing would come of it (despite us urging him to do so). Our car was stolen from outside our home last year, and I’ve had my bag taken twice - once on the street by someone on a bike, once in a café.

The lack of integration and control around immigration is concerning, and we no longer see a positive outcome here. We’ve had enough and will be relocating back to our home country in Europe this summer. Pity for the UK as we’ve been big contributors to the system (high tax payers, private schools and healthcare etc).

Don’t you think that could just be you getting older though? It’s very common to think your local area is going to hell, where ever that might be. You get more cautious and paranoid as you age

Violence crackdown drives London’s homicide rate to record low | Metropolitan Police https://share.google/gAqK8W5Oo7rlh41gJ

i find it alarming you can inflict pretty serious damage to someone now and theres little to no consequence...

Really? Care to provide any proof of that? Or is this just another page in the Reform playbook?

I wonder if they were posting this shit narrative when Johnson was Mayor and many types of crime were actually higher?

I dont have an agenda, its just an opinon.

I think it extends beyond london...

i find it alarming you can inflict pretty serious damage to someone now and theres little to no consequence...

I don't feel scared per se...I'm a nicely invisible 40 woman

But I think antisocial behaviour aggression and crime is on the up.

Things like blatant money laundering on high streets...

I'm just fatigued and depressed by it.

Really? Lawlessness

I simply don't believe you. To say this means there is an agenda at play.

No. Many of us live here and have done for years safely and without incident. I have lived here since 1995 (most of my adult life). I have raised a child here. Yes there is crime, find me a city without crime. But I have never been mugged or burgled. I have never felt unsafe out at night. I feel much safer here than in much of the UK.

I’ve seen far worse examples of inner city crime in English market towns of the sort which are held up as examples of where people should want to move. Appalling levels of public drunkenness and antisocial behaviour.

I am sick to the back teeth of reading threads about it on here. This doesn’t in any way reflect the reality of what living in London is like.

If anyone posted a thread with the same title substituting any other UK city they would be told, rightly, that they were being a judgmental snob. But because it’s London its OK to post this toxic and defamatory Reform propaganda.

I meant cities tbf!

I think there has been a change in the last few years , more chaotic. I am a Londoner by birth and think some areas are more edgy than they used to be, I know some people really disagree but just my observation, I am hoping we don’t follow US city trends and just accept it as part of life as people and businesses will move out. I moved out of central West London last year not because of crime (although some local streets now have private patrols at night paid for by residents with scary looking dogs in vans) but more general ease of life issues, I was temporary living in another Borough and just realised quality of life was better there so moved.

No idea - she's not answering those questions.

Were they describing it as a crime infested shithole in general or in relation to this awful crime that didn't take place there?