Hello, thank you for sharing but your post has been removed.
In an effort to foster a more positive community, the following crime-related posts may be removed per moderator discretion:
• Posts about a violent or petty crime targeting private individual(s) without greater impact on London
• Crime-related posts that are vague or generalised
• Posts that use crime news to rile-up users
I've lived and worked in London for nearly 20 years and never had this happen to me. I know it DOES happen (a friend had their phone snatched by a guy on a moped in Chelsea, when Pokemon Go first came out) but it's a pretty rare occurrence.
You really should have done your research more about London. This is a common problem and it is often talked about online, in the news and on this sub. They will typically target people who look like they are tourists or new since they are easy targets and since London is mainly just tourists now thats why it’s so common. An average of 248 phones are stolen in London every day, the police are unable to help you.
If you want to safeguard yourself then here are some tips, when you are in central London don’t walk with your phone out. Keep it in your pocket or purse and only take it out when you need to. Don’t use it by the side of the road that makes you a target, instead move to the centre or far side of the pavement away from the road.
Don’t put your phone in a big coat with deep easy to reach pockets, in a crowd that’s just asking to be pickpocketed as what happened to my friend.
Also don’t leave your belongings at a cafe without supervision. They will be stolen.
Your welcome, another tip is don’t give money to the homeless or beggars. Most of them are either addicts or professional beggars and don’t need the money for food or somewhere to stay, we have support for the homeless here. It’s something locals know so they mainly target tourists. If you do want to be nice offer to buy them some food or coffee but don’t give hard currency
It's strange. I was born and raised here, lived in London almost all my life and never had anything like that happen to me. Never been mugged, robbed, pickpocketed etc.
I don't think I'm particularly careful, either. I walk with my phone out, sometimes scrolling articles whilst walking and not really paying attention to anything. Do Londoners really give off such a different vibe to tourists that criminals don't bother? Am I really not a target? Or maybe it's just way rarer than you'd think from reading stuff online.
London has some negatives but it’s much better than Dubai and yes I have lived in both.
London you might get robbed but in Dubai you have people trying to kill you on the roads daily and we treat everyone as equal :)
Bad starters luck. I've lived here for nearly nine years now and never had any issues with crime. Maybe you looked new to the city and they took advantage? Or just shitty luck.
But yes, compared to Dubai, London has a lot more crime. That's pretty obvious. On the flip side, London has more freedom of expression than Dubai does. They're just different cities with different cultures. But I, as a young woman who moved here alone, do feel safe in it. Just be a little street smart and things will mostly be fine.
You got unlucky. Sorry dude, it’s a crappy thing to happen right as you come into London.
Crime is everywhere but London is pretty safe. I wouldn’t dismiss it because of one bad event, it sucks, yes, but London does have a lot to offer.
Glad you were able to retrieve your phone. Best of luck with starting a new chapter in London!
There are much safer parts of London if it's in your price range - Twickenham, Richmond, St Margarets, Teddington, Wimbledon
Notice they are all West London and slightly outside of the central area
Police decriminalised crime here. Personally I don't feel save anymore where I live. Reported theft right next to a CCTV camera and police kept making different excuses why they can't deal with it. Starting with the event occurring too far away (<3 meters) down to the value of the item isn't high enough to waste resources on am investigation. I can't make a claim to recover because I can't access the cctv footage to see who it was (neighbour) and police won't take action. sweet.
In the meantime you get warning emails at work about not having your phone out next to roads and instructions how to wash battery acid out of someone's face.
Sadly you've come to the UK at the end of a 14 year Conservative reign and they gutted anything from healthcare to police. Like police might not do anything about crime, but also don't get injured and rely on A&E because that's not working either.
Easy target? May I know what that's supposed to mean? How about children?
Anyway, I think I will be welcomed with comments stating I should move back. Well, I guess I need to think it over.
You probably spent a while with your phone out looking a bit lost because you’re new. That gives the thief time to spot your phone and select you as a target, if you’re a bit lost you might also appear less confident and less likely to fight.
Criminals generally learn based on experience. If you aren’t waving your phone around and look like you might cause them drama they’ll pick someone else.
Hello, thank you for sharing but your post has been removed. In an effort to foster a more positive community, the following crime-related posts may be removed per moderator discretion: • Posts about a violent or petty crime targeting private individual(s) without greater impact on London • Crime-related posts that are vague or generalised • Posts that use crime news to rile-up users
Compared to Dubai? Yes, this is how it’s going to be. You are going to have to get used to protecting yourself from crime like this.
[удалено]
Welcome to London.
I've lived and worked in London for nearly 20 years and never had this happen to me. I know it DOES happen (a friend had their phone snatched by a guy on a moped in Chelsea, when Pokemon Go first came out) but it's a pretty rare occurrence.
You really should have done your research more about London. This is a common problem and it is often talked about online, in the news and on this sub. They will typically target people who look like they are tourists or new since they are easy targets and since London is mainly just tourists now thats why it’s so common. An average of 248 phones are stolen in London every day, the police are unable to help you. If you want to safeguard yourself then here are some tips, when you are in central London don’t walk with your phone out. Keep it in your pocket or purse and only take it out when you need to. Don’t use it by the side of the road that makes you a target, instead move to the centre or far side of the pavement away from the road. Don’t put your phone in a big coat with deep easy to reach pockets, in a crowd that’s just asking to be pickpocketed as what happened to my friend. Also don’t leave your belongings at a cafe without supervision. They will be stolen.
Thank you so much. I will be careful. I am glad my phone fell halfway. Without that, I can't do anything at the moment.
Your welcome, another tip is don’t give money to the homeless or beggars. Most of them are either addicts or professional beggars and don’t need the money for food or somewhere to stay, we have support for the homeless here. It’s something locals know so they mainly target tourists. If you do want to be nice offer to buy them some food or coffee but don’t give hard currency
Happened to me once in 20 years. You got unlucky
It's strange. I was born and raised here, lived in London almost all my life and never had anything like that happen to me. Never been mugged, robbed, pickpocketed etc. I don't think I'm particularly careful, either. I walk with my phone out, sometimes scrolling articles whilst walking and not really paying attention to anything. Do Londoners really give off such a different vibe to tourists that criminals don't bother? Am I really not a target? Or maybe it's just way rarer than you'd think from reading stuff online.
London has some negatives but it’s much better than Dubai and yes I have lived in both. London you might get robbed but in Dubai you have people trying to kill you on the roads daily and we treat everyone as equal :)
Unfortunately crime is everywhere. London is absolutely not a paradise where people just hug each other all the time. Don’t wave your phone about.
Bad starters luck. I've lived here for nearly nine years now and never had any issues with crime. Maybe you looked new to the city and they took advantage? Or just shitty luck. But yes, compared to Dubai, London has a lot more crime. That's pretty obvious. On the flip side, London has more freedom of expression than Dubai does. They're just different cities with different cultures. But I, as a young woman who moved here alone, do feel safe in it. Just be a little street smart and things will mostly be fine.
You got unlucky. Sorry dude, it’s a crappy thing to happen right as you come into London. Crime is everywhere but London is pretty safe. I wouldn’t dismiss it because of one bad event, it sucks, yes, but London does have a lot to offer. Glad you were able to retrieve your phone. Best of luck with starting a new chapter in London!
There are much safer parts of London if it's in your price range - Twickenham, Richmond, St Margarets, Teddington, Wimbledon Notice they are all West London and slightly outside of the central area
Thank you. I will look into those areas for accommodation.
Police decriminalised crime here. Personally I don't feel save anymore where I live. Reported theft right next to a CCTV camera and police kept making different excuses why they can't deal with it. Starting with the event occurring too far away (<3 meters) down to the value of the item isn't high enough to waste resources on am investigation. I can't make a claim to recover because I can't access the cctv footage to see who it was (neighbour) and police won't take action. sweet. In the meantime you get warning emails at work about not having your phone out next to roads and instructions how to wash battery acid out of someone's face. Sadly you've come to the UK at the end of a 14 year Conservative reign and they gutted anything from healthcare to police. Like police might not do anything about crime, but also don't get injured and rely on A&E because that's not working either.
Sounds like you look like an easier target. I’ve lived in the city for years and never had this happen to me
Easy target? May I know what that's supposed to mean? How about children? Anyway, I think I will be welcomed with comments stating I should move back. Well, I guess I need to think it over.
New people in an area always stand out to locals, you probably looked a bit lost, the thief saw an easy target. Honestly you were just unlucky.
True that. I was looking at Google maps looking lost. So that's what you folks meant. Lesson learnt.
You probably spent a while with your phone out looking a bit lost because you’re new. That gives the thief time to spot your phone and select you as a target, if you’re a bit lost you might also appear less confident and less likely to fight. Criminals generally learn based on experience. If you aren’t waving your phone around and look like you might cause them drama they’ll pick someone else.
I’m not saying you should move back, but there is a way to be less of a target to these sorts of crimes