parents of older kid in london - arent you worried?

[CODalmighty]

by allt hese muggings thagt go on.
and isnt it ironic that the more we gave kdi mobile phones " to eb safe"
they seem to haev the opposite effect

I've lived in Hackney since 1986 and (touch wood) have had no trouble here at all.

I got very badly beaten up when I was at school in rural Yorkshire. Got raped as well (in the same year).

I do worry about my DSs, but am not convinced that I would worry a lot less if we lived, say, in the village in Yorkshire where I grew up.

A vicar was brutally murdered the other day in a village somewhere, wasn't he?

Not worried. DS1 was mugged a couple of weeks ago but he did exactly what I told him. 2 boys came up behind him, 1 ran to the front of him and shoved him and demanded his phone. DS1 handed over the phone. I told him that I can always replace the things but I can't replace him.

Got a call from the police the other day, they caught the wee bastards!!!!!!!!!

I don't worry about him any more than I worry about the others. He handled himself well and I'm convinced that he will continue to do so.

MrsPhillipGlenister, DW and family have lived in Hackney all their lives. DW has been mugged, had strangers try to pull her into their cars in broad daylight, someone was shot right in front of her at a bus stop, someone stabbed next to her in a club, tear gas thrown into a club. All in Hackney.

There are good and bad everywhere but, yes more does happen in urban areas simply due to more people and therefore more chances of things happening.

On the flip side, DW's siblings have had hardly any problems at all. Maybe my dw has one of those faces!

I walk around Hackney all day every day and have never had any trouble.

urban areas are def. more dangerous

we live in Se22, no actual criminal attacks on us as yet round here apart from deliveries being nicked from the doorstep, fireworks let off in street and whizzing past ds1's head in late October courtesy of local gang of 13/14 year old idiots, street fight on adjacent road courtesy of same idiots last week. Oh and one of the local gift shops had an armed robbery the other week.

Of friends who live in SE London 1 (in Camberwell) was mugged twice in the street in daylight. Another in Brixton was also mugged.

I also knew the girlfriend of the solicitor who was stabbed in Kensal Green last year though we had lost touch. So I don't feel at all safe in London and I am almost certain that once I have found work we will move out somewhere else.

I take it back, Hackney's lovely. ...

The thing is, many of these 'every day' type crimes don't make the national or even the local press.

I could tell loads of stories about prostitutes, drugs, door to door scams, muggings, pick-pockets, gang fights, young teenagers commiting robbery & fencing etc. But there's no point because most of us living in urban areas know them already.

I hate knives, guns, drugs, people trafficking etc but in particular macho/aggressive behaviour in teens/twenties.