London does not feel safe

[thinkiamgoingcrazy]

The Westminster attack, now the London Bridge and Borough Market attacks .

The horrible rise in knife crime .

And the knife crime / murders are not remote. The 18 year old son of our ex neighbours was chased and stabbed to death about 2 years ago, about 10 minutes drive from where we live. About a week ago a woman was shot and killed on the same road that my H has a shop on. A few months ago a young boy was stabbed to death outside a neighbouring secondary school - the students at my dcs' secondary school were offered counselling.

I don't think anywhere feels particularly safe at the moment

You're right and I am sure people in Manchester feel the same .

But the rise in knife crime is particularly bad here.

(Missed your post Hesterton).

You're right. It doesn't feel safe at all. Have to go to centre tomorrow. Not feeling too perky about the notion.

Do you want to move?

My parents moved out of London when I was a child. We live in an area on the East Coast now where the newspapers are filled with stories about fundraisers and local fetes it always used to shock me when I'd visit family in London and theirs would be filled with stories of acid attacks and stabbings. Employment is low but there is work around and Norwich is an easy commute. Schools are ok although not very diverse and being able to pop to the beach whenever you like is lovely.

Whilst moving would solve your problem with street crime this new wave of terrorist attacks and driving at people could happen at anytime when you go to a major city to visit?

And yet it's safer than ever....

Stop watching the news and you'll feel better.

"Feeling safe" is just a perception though, brought on by what we see in the media.

You're very, very, very unlikely to be caught up in a terror or knife attack.

No, I agree OP. Although no big city does at present,.

You will be told to "get things in perspective" or "the chance of being involved in a terrorist attack is minuscule" which is insulting really as it denies very valid feelings of fear and sadness after an attack.

You're right op, it doesn't feel safe at all.

I work in a large city hesterton and don't think the current threat level is acceptable.

Terror attacke in a city should not be acceptable.

Many people are not prepared to live like this.

I think 'feeling safe' even if it's only perception is important, you don't want to worry every time you go out for the evening/get the tube.

I have a mixed race/Asian DS. I want to move out of London anyway (cleaner air, more space, blah blah) but I do have an extra sense of urgency that I don't think I have if he was white or a girl (thinking knife crime and police stop and searches)

It feels safer than it has been so many times in the past. London really is a great city. Sadly this year's been horrible for knife crime and there's the threat of terrorism in most major European cities but I do think the contrast makes it seem particularly bad - in the early part of this decade and maybe the late noughties it was very very safe.

I spent the day in London yesterday showing a summer guest our beautiful capital and I've never felt safer due to the amount of police walking/driving around (that we could see!) but random attacks like this are difficult to stop unless we all walk around in a protective bubble. My friend will be shocked when she wakes up to read the news as we were stood on London Bridge taking photos late afternoon.

I don't think anyone means to deny valid feelings of sadness and of course fear is normal but when you have to live and work in London you also need to be realistic about actual risk or you'd go to bed and simply stay there.

DH will be walking across London Bridge to work tomorrow, the same as every other working day. And the same as hundreds of other people.

It's true that the gun and knife crime mainly happens in gang related incidents or due to arguments between people who know each other (not that that makes it any better generally). There is spillover though - random people targeted for no reason, muggings etc... And I think that there is a sense of menace that we just become used to. There was that horrible incident a few years ago where a man on a bus was murdered because he dared to complain when someone was throwing chips at his girlfriend. You have to watch your back.

By what measure is it safer than ever? This article seems to say the opposite. Genuine question.

It is not more unsafe.

If people decide the current terrorism threat is so bad they don't want to live in London I say good maybe it will stop the London/south east bias. London pop is set to rise 2 million in the next few years...

panino clearly it is more unsafe. What a silly response.

I live in a major city and there's been a huge increase in gun crime, someone is shot almost every day.
I still feel safe though as it's mainly feuds between local gangs and drug dealers.

How so Charlie?

Because there are terrorist attacks going on, possibly the reason panino