Moving to Muswell, but worried about recent reports of violent crime

[BabyLemonady]

Hi
We are moving to Muswell in the NewYear after many visits, much research and generally hearing great things about the area. But it seems that violent crime is on the rise in last couple of years and the poor woman who was bound, gagged and stabbed to death on Hill Rd is not far from the house we are meant to be buying. Heard there was a similar incident of someone being bound and gagged on Pages Lane as well?
We are used to living in relative “protection” of an upper maisonette/flat in NW1 so a bit worried that a house in MH may not be safest bet for our family even if it is on a road with traffic near a school (vs quieter side Rd).
For those living in MH what is your feeling about safety? Are violent burglaries and crime rising ? Are there lots of gangs/thugs around these days?
Thanks for your help!

If you currently live in NW1 then I hardly think Muswell Hill is going to be a hotbed of crime in comparison...

Is this a joke? The only gangs I've seen in Muswell Hill is gangs of mothers pushing very expensive strollers!

NW1 in Primrose Hill is not quite cut-throat, but yes there is plenty of theft.

No it wasn’t a joke actually , we have visited MH and liked it as it seemed safe but have never lived there so a fair question to ask?

This was my first Mumsnet post, had wondered if it was in any way possible to post a question without receiving snarky replies

Sorry but as you already know the leafy 'burb Muswell Hill your question is a bit nuts! Of course crime can happen anywhere, Dennis Neilson, the prolific serial killer, also lived in Muswell Hill. But don't worry it's generally a lovely place to live.!

Sorry OP, when you said NW1 I assumed Camden Town, which has more than its fair share of crime. Still, Muswell Hill is very much a nappy valley in the same vein as Crouch End. It isn't on the tube which can be a pain but there are regular buses.

It feels very safe to me. Granted, we're not out much in the evening or late night, but from what I hear from friends, it's still a safe area in the evening as well.

Thanks GingerIvy that’s helpful !

Charley50 thanks. As I mentioned, I’ve only visited MH a few times during the day so cannot say I know it well, hence the question to locals who actually live there. Crime data is what it is but doesn’t provide much insight as to what’s behind it.

It feels very safe to me although all the nice northern suburbs have to watch out for the mooed riding phone thieves. I expect they've visited primrose hill too.

I've lived in Muswell Hill for nearly seven years. Apart from one theft from my car when I stupidly forgot to lock it, the only crime that we have encountered is once, several years ago, when two youths approached my DH on the street in broad daylight as he was walking home from local shop with a bottle of wine and told him to give them the wine. He kicked off his sandals and told them to come and take it if they wanted it. They ran away.

Having said that, the moped gangs have apparently been seen around here at times although I don't know anyone who has seen them, and they can and do go anywhere.

We have lived here for 4 years and have never had any issues. Muswell Hill is a lovely area with a real community feel. Of course nowhere is crime free but from my experience wouldn't warn anyone off the area re crime.

Hi there, we are looking to rent a house for our family in Muswell Hill. We were about to rent a large one in Osier Crescent but heard concerns around safety. Is Churston Gardens in N11 (near St Martin of Porres primary) safer? I am pretty new to muswell hill and would like to know if there is any bit I should actively avoid. Huge thanks.

Hi twinmums we’re also looking at osier crescent. Did you rent in the area finally? Anyone else have any experience living around osier crescent? We were also concerned around recent crime stats.