to want to discuss the fact that I have just witnessed and made a statement for my fourth serious crime

[ALMummy]

in London in the past two years. I am posting in AIBU as there tends to be a more candid viewpoint here.

1. An assault by 4 youths at a bus stop that left a woman unconscious after she asked them to stop harassing her and her friends.

1. A murder of a 14 year old boy near where I live.

1. An assault by two men on a female community support police officer while shopping with my kids in the market last weekend.

1. Today an attack by a youth on another youth on the bus because of a hat.

To be honest I am really searching for some insight. I dont live in a particularly rough area. I am utterly depressed by what has happened today. On my way home I saw a march for Kodjo Yenga. It is a year today since he was murdered. I cried the rest of the way home. I am bringing up a boy here and I see no hope at all. I know this is a depressing post but all my friends and family live elsewhere and dont really understand how grim all this is.

Hi ALmuumy. I know what you mean. It really does get to you. We moved from Brixton to Brighton because of this.

I don't always let it in but I cried when I heard about the mum of the boy who was killed at Streatham ice rink handing out leaflets there. Really wept even though I've never met them. Sometimes it just gets in when you're a mum.

Of course you're upset and depressed and you have every right to be. You need a big hug and a good friend right now. You've been dreadfully unlucky to witness so many things in your area. I would probably want to move even if it wasn't a particularly rough area but wanting to move and being to is another matter.

London is so horrible, we left nearly three years ago and I don't regret it ONE BIT I still work there and think it has got worse and more intimidating since we moved.

you'll get lots of posters saying it's great, but bet they all live in well-to-do areas on the whole...

can you move? cost of living much cheaper if you do....

it does get depressing, another youth murdered in edmonton. we are in a good area but just a few streets down theres a gun incident almost every day, my friend called to sy she was going to be late as there was youths shooting at each other, wtf is going on.

I sympathise@ALmummy. I witnessed a horrendous attack at the end of my road last year (also in London). A teenage boy stabbed a young woman in the back for her mobile phone (punctured her lung, almost killed her) - a seemingly random, completely unprovoked attack at 4pm on a sunny summer's day in a residential area. I was depressed for weeks afterwards. It is very hard to make sense of violence if you are not a violent person.

The ones listed are not all I have seen. When I was working DH and I were coming home from work separately one night and a main section of the road was blocked by the police because people had been shot in Nandos. So for a horrible couple of minutes I was terrified that DH had been hurt and he vice versa. I probably see a violent incident every fortnight but most of the time you have to ignore it. The four I mentioned are just a fraction of what I have witnessed here in London.

We are looking at moving to Spain actually. We dont have any money but DH would be able to work there and think it would be better for the kids. DS is currently waiting assessment for ASD though so we cant do anything until that is sorted. Its just so depressing.

I do hear what you are saying, ALmummy. I have lived in London all my life, grew up in a very rough area, and have seen a lot in my time. Think carefully bout moving away, though (not saying you shouldn't - just think it through). Crime occurs everywhere.

OMG I cant believe I forgot this one - DH was going to work early one morning (about 5.30 am) and three men claiming to be CID tried to make him get into their car. Luckily DH is the most suspicious man in the world and refused and managed to get free when they tried to grab him. When we contacted the police they said that they would probably have driven him to a cashpoint and violently forced him to hand over any cash. The men had no qualms about DH seeing their faces and my blood runs cold at the thought of what they might have done to him.

I sympathise, ALMummy. When you become a parent every incident has a "what if it was my child" shadow attached to it. I cry when I hear about these incidents, and I have friends who I know react in the same way. If we stop caring we lose our humanity. But I cling on to the belief that these are still rare happenings - perhaps for you this is not the case and I understand you wanting to leave. I recently spent some time in Switzerland and felt a big contrast with the UK - things seem calm, polite, ordered and friendly there. Perhaps it is a "grass is greener" reaction but you may well be happier in Spain. Good luck.

Birmingham is not much different. I fear for my sons and hope to get away from here before they become teenagers.

We are moving out - too many aimless young men with big nasty dogs

YANBU ALMummy. It is heartbreaking when you live somewhere were you dread your children growing up in case the get caught up or caught in crossfire of local gangs. We were not in London but in Greenock in Scotland but eventually had enough and moved due to being threatened by neighbours for being witnesses against the local gangleader who thought nothing of roaming the streets with swords, guns and crossbows. We have not once regretted moving away.

sure are, Kerala

all those bloody pit bull types or rottweilers

I used to live in south east london and moved because of the crime. It is a shame when i first moved there I loved it but at the end I was to scared to go out at night. The last straw came when a pregnant lady got shot in the kneecaps for beeping another driver. I was pg at the time and couldn't take the risk.

remember that, Lardylumps, was it Norbury?

yes it was I lived in Gypsy Hill and drove through Norbury daily for work.

I remember that too lardylumps. Horrifying.