Steady rise in London muggings

The number of muggings in London continues to rise, going up last year by 5.9% over 2005. The police are blaming this on muggers wanting to get their sweaty paws on the newest mobile phones and iPods, but seem unable to stop the rise.

New visitors to London might think its pretty safe and generally it is, if you keep your wits about and pay attention to where you’re going and who’s around you. London has about half the number of police as New York and you won’t see too many of them pounding the beat, in some places you have more chance of seeing Elvis than a foot patrol. I’d say they were more into reacting to crime than preventing it so the onus is on the individual to look after themselves to a certain extent.

Scotland Yard’s website has a page of advice for tourists in London, fairly normal stuff about not leaving valuables in hotel rooms, carrying bags and cameras in front of you especially in crowds and avoiding isolated and dimly lit places, plus warning you not to carry guns, knifes or CS spray, you’re going to have to fight them off with your fists.

My advice would be spread your money about you, if you’re coming with a friend that’ll help but still stay alert, especially at night when travelling on public transport. If you plan on drinking or clubbing try and make sure you know your route back to your hotel or hostel before setting out for the evening, with its jumbled up streets its easy to get messed up trying to find somewhere in central London, more so at night. If you do think you may be at risk and have a phone with you, dial 999 and get the police there as soon as possible.

By Chris | Permalink

Related Posts

• London Embassies
• Embassies
• London Travel Essentials
• FCO travel advice
• Site Review: Directory of Hotels.com

Subscribe London RSS Feed

Print

Share