To think villages are safer than towns than cities

[skybluee]

What are your thoughts?

Villages > towns > cities?

Or is it just perception?

Also interested in whether dark is safer than light, or whether it's simply linked to the time of day (6pm vs 9am).

I live in a village. Never been a crime here. My last town had crimes every day. Cities are deadly.

You’re forgetting midsomer...

I always feel more isolated in a village and more likely to be murdered, whereas I live in London and feel safe. Probably the result of watching too much midsummer murder.

Cross post mount.

Cities are deadly.

Yep, those of us who live in one run the gauntlet every single day. I'm over 50 now: it's amazing I'm still alive

Only ever been a personal victim of crime when in a town.

I think it's different types of crime. I'd be more scared of being mugged in a city and I'd be more scared of being burgled in a village.

I just wondered bc I read this:

metro.co.uk/2018/08/31/uks-safest-and-most-dangerous-cities-are-revealed-7901267/

and it said Birmingham has been voted the most unsafe city in the UK, with a shocking 42% of those living there feeling at risk - even during a day.

I live in Birmingham but I was surprised to see it at the top of this list of English cities.

Ok, so stevies anecdotal evidence of 1 must mean that crime stats are wrong!? Who knew.

I would feel isolated/cut off and therefore vulnerable in a village. Harder to escape from. I like cities, with people around and plentiful public transport day and night.

Safer for what?

The big threat to women is violence from men they already know. Which, all other things being equal, is the same level of risk whether you live in central London or Norton Wallop.

I meant safer in terms of everything (an average). Safer from anything happening.

But what's "anything"? Road accident? Rampaging bull?

Ok, so stevies anecdotal evidence of 1 must mean that crime stats are wrong!? Who knew

Oh no, not based on one. There are around 750,000 of us still alive here as of this morning.

Just making the point that it seems mildly hysterical to describe our cities as 'deadly'. But, hey ....... who am I?

I live in a village and although there has recently been an increase in crime in the area I feel much safer than when I lived in a town. More people = more crime, more everything.

After watching the documentary Hot Fuzz, I'd have to disagree with you. Villages seem even more dangerous then the ghetto.

I live in a village. The road is dangerous and there's a bit of crime/anti-social behaviour.

I didn't think I'd have to spell this out, I thought it would be fairly obvious, but if you want an explanation:

murder
rape
assault of any kind
being robbed
being followed
having something done to your property
anything that is unsafe.

Far safer. People are robbed and attacked daily here. I visited a small rural village recently it was so peaceful. People left their doors open. I forgot places like that existed.

Though rural houses in the country are pretty risky. It is awful how many times people in isolation get robbed. Everyday you read of another unfortunate family getting ambushed in rural areas.

I mean, obviously crime is higher in cities, particularly violent crime - that's just fact. Higher population density and greater poverty and inequality leads to more crime.

Doesn't mean we all have to walk down the road wearing protective gear.

I've actually wondered myself about the darkness thing. I don't like going running after dark and I often think, if it was summer I would be out at this exact time and think nothing of it.

Really depends on the village. Ours has had a surge of crime recently, especially burglars and scammers. The main problem is that there’s zero police presence, whereas when I lived in a city you’d see police on patrol. I feel unsafe driving home at night because we are quite isolated and down dark roads, while I don’t mind driving after dark when it’s a well lit area.

I live in a village. I do have to run the gauntlett of a pair of swans that live at the end of the lane.

One of the headlines in the local rag that sticks in my memory is “x in uneven pavement shock”.

I suspect it’s related to nothing more than numbers though!

To be honest I find it a bit odd that I ask a very straightforward question about safety and someone has no concept of what I mean. That's fine if it was a genuine question... but is it that difficult to understand the concept of "safer"? I apologise if you were asking genuinely, but to be honest, this is just coming across as someone being intentionally awkward and trying to either disrupt the thread or being intentionally goady. I made it very clear that I was referring to safety, and not a specific thing (like e.g. murder, else I would've stated that). Anything that compromises your safety. Hope that helps make it clearer.

For that news piece - I don't think 'feeling safe' is a particularly accurate measure of actual crime risk. I don't feel safe walking past large groups of young lads on bikes but none of them have ever done anything to warrant my feeling that way.

I loved in a village, my neighbours son (in his 30s) murdered a 16 yr old who lived in the next village. Stabbed her to death because he came in to her and she refused him. Dumped her body in a ditch and went on the run.
Numerous other petty crimes too.

Yes villages are as a safe as cities in my opinion. There’s more opportunity for crime in a city but doesn’t mean villages are any safer.

Thank you for all of the answers...

To be fair swans can be pretty scary if you cross them!

I wondered about the numbers thing and whether it was perception.

E.g. if you live in a city but there are 100,000 of you. Yet there are 5 robberies that make the news. Or you live in a village and there are 1000 of you. There's one robbery. But actually is the village more dangerous... bc of that?