Should we leave Glasgow?

[relocationconfliction]

We have 3DC, 2 DD’s and a DS. We live just on the outskirts of Glasgow, about a 8 min drive to city centre. We’re becoming very worried about the future safety of our children. Nearly daily on the news there’s stories about teenage boys stabbing each other, it seems like it’s an epidemic. There’s also a lot of stories recently about teenage girls being attacked in places such as parks etc. It’s horrible. My DS, who’s still a child but obviously will grow up, is getting into the football with his dad and supports one of the old firm teams. Even that feels dangerous. I’d never be comfortable with my children going out as teens to meet their friends as there’s just trouble everywhere. Any advice would be great. Thinking of relocating to Argyll.

I lived in Glasgow for nearly 40 years and for the most part really loved it.

I left there 10 years ago to move to Ayrshire. I didn't leave for safety reasons but because I wanted to live by the sea again

I don't recognise the Glasgow Ioved when I go back there now. I find it very run down and depressing. Although I have to say the people are still much friendlier and more " human" there than where I currently live.

I do think that you are just as likely to hear about stabbings and attacks on women, and men actually, wherever you move to . There is plenty of crime everywhere. And problems caused by allegiance to one of the old firm or football in general is definitely not confined to Glasgow.

@relocationconfliction sounds like your worried about everything i understand you i support 1 of the old firm teams and I still worry about my son 27 going to glasgow on the days they play most fans are great but you do get the idiots that cause the shit i stay just outside Glasgow which isnt so bad

I live just outside of Glasgow and I don’t recognise this at all. Where are all these stories about teenagers stabbing each other in Glasgow? The occasional one yes but it isn’t something that I recognise as a regular occurrence. It annoys me that the city centre looks so run down, though I don’t know many places that don’t in comparison with what they used to be but I rarely feel unsafe. Which part of Glasgow are you in?

Wasn’t Glasgow stabbing capital of Europe 20 years ago? DH is from there and has never seen any issue nor anyone in his family and they live all over.
Id stay away from the R/C football matches as that seems to be the main source of issues.

I don’t know what news you’re reading? I’ve lived in and around Glasgow all of my 50 plus years and have 2 teen boys and dont recognise at all what you’re claiming.

when it comes to High School, Glasgow and its suburbs have the biggest choice of top performing High Schools in Scotland, worth bearing in mind.
Also rural areas have problems with drugs and alcohol ( and car accidents!). I live rurally and it can be difficult to keep rural teens happy and safe too. My DS moved to Glasgow for uni and is so much happier ( and feels safe).

So I follow BBC Scotland News and see their headlines every day on Facebook stories. I see the stabbing headlines very often. If you google Glasgow teenage stabbing, there are lots and lots of articles. It is either R/C DS supports (won’t say which as it’s not the point) and someone tried to run my DH over on the path last year when he was wearing his football top on match day walking to the game (witnessed by other pedestrians).

I read BBC Scotland news every day too and I do not regularly see reports of teenagers being stabbed. Most articles that I can find are about the same few cases. Where exactly are you that your teenagers are so unsafe to go out? Is this specific to your street/area because I don’t recognise this of Glasgow as a whole. A few dodgy areas yes though even then i wouldn’t say that teens being stabbed is a regular occurrence, but generally? No.

You might also be surprised by how rough some parts of Argyll & Bute can be too.

@AllPlayedOuteast. Not specific to my street but perhaps area? My DH is of the opinion that even if you live in a nice area, you’re never far from trouble. Especially with young teams which is what we don’t want ds getting involved with. Oh good to know, do you know which bits so I can avoid if we do?

Born and bred in Glasgow
Moved out to suburbs for school for my DC but work in Glasgow and regularly socialise there
I don’t recognise your description

My extended family have supported Rangers forever and have never been involved in any trouble

By all means move if you want, but there can be trouble anywhere

My DD considered Glasgow Uni but the four years plus extra year of fees put her off (the fact it was snowing a bit in April also didn’t win her over). We found the part we saw lively and buzzy and very attractive architecturally. My BIL lives there near the Botanical Gardens (he teaches at another uni ) snd loves it. His wife waxed lyrical about it (they previously lived in Liverpool and Canterbury) and is out and about with their young son all the time.
Surely it depends on the area? I mean I live in London but feel totally safe in the area I live (not denying there may be the odd mugging, burglary etc).

I've lived in and around Glasgow for the last 20 years. I have a teenager who went to town yesterday with hers pals and regularly is in the city centre for school
The only area I don't like her hanging around is St Enoch Centre, outside more than inside, as it attracts a certain demographic, ie troubled teenagers. junkies, etc, there is often a fight happening or brewing when you walk around that area. However I don't recognise the Glasgow you describe and nor does Google. The cases that come up tend to be the same two or three in the last couple of years.

Errmmm.... more like 60 years ago!

If you relocate to Argyll, you may well find the kids coming back to Glasgow or another city once they’re old enough. There isn’t much to do for young kids.

I live in Glasgow and there are occasional incidents but you make it sound like they’re happening all the time. I regularly socialise in town and don’t think twice about it.

I had a friend who moved to Argyll and moved back within 3 years. She needed some life and her teenager was bored rigid. There is a rife drug problem amongst younger people and that can be down to ‘nothing else to do!’

what about moving further out?

Apparently it was the European murder capital in 2005 I’ve just googled it. We know an A&E doc who used to joke about it and his stab wound skills.

Nottingham also had that reputation ( guns rather than knives) but it doesn't mean most people aren't perfectly safe.

The infamous Glasgow knife gangs were in the 60s.

I grew up just outside Glasgow in the 80s and it was no different then. My brother and I lived to tell the tale. I would have no problem if my adult dcs wanted to relocate to Glasgow.

The news always reports the bad things as they make better headlines. You could try looking at the crime data for your area and for where your DC will go to secondary school and see how that compares to elsewhere. (Eg on this website https://datamap-scotland.co.uk/simd-local-authorities/scotland-deprivation-zones-on-a-map/simd20-crime-map-scotland/

The news won't give you a fair assessment.

I can't see why you are especially worried about your DS joining a gang unless there is something you aren't telling us about how embedded in Old Firm rivalries and animosities he is, or any other activities he might pursue. Boys from stable and secure backgrounds - financially, emotionally, socially - are unlikely to get sucked into gangs.

I don't recognise what you're saying, not even as a hyper-vigilant anxious parent. I live in Glasgow, in one of the most recognised disadvantaged and deprived areas, well known as 'dodgy', and I don't recognise this as an everyday thing. Its not perfect by any means and is at times very grim, but the main violent incidents I can think of in my area in recent years are quite few and far between. I support Celtic and followed them all around Scotland for years and was only ever involved in any kind of incident one single time (when an opposing fan punched my then boyfriend on a train). It was minor.

There have been some high profile incidents in the wider city but I think you'd be surprised by the fact it also happens in other places. Where is Argyll are you thinking of? Helensburgh, Dunoon and Oban for example also have murder, assaults, sexual assaults, paedophilia and drugs. If you're thinking less people = safer maybe you're right but I don't think Glasgow is inherently unsafe.

Obviously move it that's what you want to do but maybe you need to stop consuming too much negative news also or it will follow you.

All big cities are the same, London, Liverpool, Nottingham. Unless you want to move somewhere more rural. It’s hard having having teens. Best bet is to get them hooked on hobbies so they are out doing that and not hanging around city centres would be my advice

Nothing to worry about.

They only murder their friends.

I’m in edinburgh (but in Glasgow regularly for my daughter’s hobby) and agree that there’s nothing inherently more dangerous about Glasgow than any other large city. It’s much more important to provide as strong a home life as possible so your children are busy and cared for at home. My daughter is 13 and has dance class almost every day - she loves it, has met lovely friends and is too busy to hang out on the street. She has a safe home where she’s free to bring her friends and I drive her to her friends whenever she wants - these are ways I keep her safe. Living in the countryside can be lovely but it comes with challenges and teenagers tend to spend a lot of time getting to the nearest city or asking for endless lifts (my husband grew up in the middle of nowhere and hated it!)

We're also on outskirts and I can't recognise this at all, unfortunately I think knife crime can be an issue anywhere you live. I used to live in London and it was far, far worse, there were people stabbed every week either in my area or on my route home due to rife gang violence and friends with teenage boy sons were understandably very worried.

But perceptions of a place can be massively shaped by how you feel in your own home / street / immediate area. If it feels dodgy then you're going to feel unsafe generally.

Personally, I grew up rural Scotland, hours away from the central belt, and while it was idyllic on paper, there was very little for teenagers to do (and there were still social problems there too). Me and DH want a different life for our kids and for them to have easy access to city life.