Should I be worried about the stabbings in London?

Question

Hey

I was considering going to a University in London, Queen Mary to be exact, which would mean I have to move away from my current area and go and live in London.

I have heard a lot about London being a dangerous place: regular stabbings, especially amongst young people, and media attention focused on London. I understand crime will be more prevalent in the worst areas but recently there have been stabbings in Central London, for example the lad who got stabbed on Oxford Street.

I absolutely love London, its culture and its sheer scale of things to do... but there is a part of me that is somewhat scared of being stabbed.

Especially considering my potential situation as a newcomer to London, a student and even just a resident of a seemingly-more deprived area (the East End).

This is probably natural nerves, but should I be worried, or is this just over-hyped media attention, and something that is to be expected for a city like London?

Thanks

Sean

Answer 1

I would suggest you take the statistics for number of stabbings a year in London ... then calculate the number of people resident in London, and add on a good margin for the number of visitors that might be here on any one day ... then divide that total population by the number of stabbings

I haven't worked this out myself, but I would encourage you to do it and then maybe you might get some idea of the likelihood of your being in danger

I've lived in London for over 30 years, have never been burgled, never been mugged, never been threatened ... OK so maybe a lot of people have had those bad experiences, but my guess is that many many more have not

get things in proportion

Answer 2

as long as you've got common sense and keep away from the wrong places and people, you'll most likely be fine

Answer 3

There are about 7.5 million people living in London. About 20 have been the victim of stabbings this year. About 50 have been the victim of road accidents. Ever  hear anyone make a huge fuss about road accidents in London?

London is a very large city, with a very large population. There will be occasional murders. That doesnt mean you are at any personal risk whatsoever.

  

Answer 4

Im from Hackney. I have been stabbed and it was not random they boy who did it I knew him he went to my school it was over a mobile we stole from his mate and me and him were going to fight and I ended up being stabbed in my thigh leg & arms this was two years ago and since then I gave up that whole street thing. You see people like you have no reason to be getting stabbed or shot out here  it aint like your gona be living in those areas or hanging on the streets doing what I did so aint nothing gonna happen to ya. Me I was lucky I got stabbed then as nowadays people my age (17) are being actually killed over the same stupid things Ive lost 4 friends to murder all of which were targeted not random. as for the boy who stabbed me what goes around comes back around he got stabbed 11 times last year and is not living around here no more. I just say to you dont live in hackney, brixton, peckham, stockwell, clapton, stoke newington if you dont want to witness crimes but youll be safe. As for me I still have idiots who hate me but I dont start trouble and I stay in im on Yahoo more than outisde lol

Answer 5

When I first moved to London from a small country town, I thought I would be mugged every time I left the house!  I soon discovered that London is a series of small towns and villages all joined together.  If you look carefully at the reports of the stabbings, sadly most of the victims were known to the perpetrators.  Perhaps I am lucky (or naive), but for the most part, I figure that if you are not involved in gangs or drugs and take care when out at night, you have to be pretty unlucky to get caught up in anything.  Yes of course there are some areas it is better to keep away from, but London is generally not a bad place to live.

Answer 6

There aren't that many stabs in London so don't be worried ok?