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Post by Nick on Aug 13, 2008 11:08:54 GMT 1
Money may not be the issue for you, but for most, a few million quid for a place in a decent area of London is way beyond thinking about. As Carol rightly pointed out "you need money to enjoy it", serious money in fact , and if you do, life can be great in London with the exception of the air quality.
As for feeling safe at night, I think you'll find most city's in the UK can be very ugly places to be at 2:00am.
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Post by davedogma on Aug 13, 2008 11:59:45 GMT 1
I don't know why but I can notice druggies a mile away when in York. They just don't "fit" with their walk, look etc. Maybe because yocals are slightlly better dressed than your average Brit or maybe because of all tourists who just look different. Dunno but, for some reason, every time I go to York I just seem to notice druggies more than anywhere else (London, Hull etc)
Could be just me...
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Post by capio on Aug 13, 2008 12:05:15 GMT 1
I don't know why but I can notice druggies a mile away when in York. They're the ones in a Sunderland/Newcastle football shirt!
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Post by pocketvenus on Aug 13, 2008 12:15:02 GMT 1
I don't know why but I can notice druggies a mile away when in York. They just don't "fit" with their walk, look etc. Maybe because yocals are slightlly better dressed than your average Brit or maybe because of all tourists who just look different. Dunno but, for some reason, every time I go to York I just seem to notice druggies more than anywhere else (London, Hull etc) Could be just me... I have never seen as many druggies anywhere in Europe as in London. I admit that East Hull (Bransholme/Longhill, etc.) is really dodgy and people who live there give the town a bad name, but West Hull is beautiful, particularly the Old Town. On my hen night in York back in 1998 I was drunk, so I wouldn't have noticed druggies or anyone else for that matter:)
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Post by capio on Aug 13, 2008 12:17:22 GMT 1
Money may not be the issue for you, but for most, a few million quid for a place in a decent area of London is way beyond thinking about. As Carol rightly pointed out "you need money to enjoy it", serious money in fact , and if you do, life can be great in London with the exception of the air quality. As for feeling safe at night, I think you'll find most city's in the UK can be very ugly places to be at 2:00am. I live in semi-rural Surbuia... I could sleep in my front garden and nobody would bother me. However there's parts of the town that I am attached to that I wouldn't want to live in. Just like London. In the centre of town at 2am the very worst encounter here would be some drunken oik throwing a few hay-makers and windmilling his way to the cells. In London... knife crime is a huge problem. As yet it's one my town and many others is not suffering from. I've lived there, I can see the advantages, but I find it a soulless place, because the people have 'capital city syndrome'... everybody is miserable from all the traffic, the commuting and the extortionate prices. I'll give it a miss. The best places in London are better than anywhere else in the UK and the worst places are worse than anywhere else.
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Post by polako on Aug 13, 2008 12:35:29 GMT 1
You need to look at the Home office crime statistics to make a comparison nationally and why there is a higher crime rate for violent crime in London: Taken from the Home Office website, crime statistics 2007/08
"London had the highest overall police recorded crime rate and the highest rates for three of the five main offence groups: violence against the person, offences against vehicles and other theft offences. However, it had the lowest rates of criminal damage in 2007/08.2
Yorkshire and the Humber also showed consistently high rates for the main crime types and had the highest burglary rate among the English regions and Wales. Rates for each of the offence groups in the region fell between 2006/07 and 2007/08.
The East of England and South West regions showed the lowest overall recorded crime rates and were among the regions with the lowest rates for each of the main offences. Violence against the person rates for both regions were low at 13 offences per 1,000 population and 15 per 1,000 population in the East of England and the South West respectively, compared with the highest rate of 23 per 1,000 population in London.
The South East and the West Midlands had crime rates for each of the main offence types at or below the rates for England and Wales overall. Wales had the lowest rate of other theft offences in 2007/08 at 16 per 1,000 population, despite the rate showing no change compared with the previous year.
The rates for the North West tended to be at or above the overall rates for England and Wales – with the exception of violence against the person. North East rates tended to be slightly below the national figures – with the exception of criminal damage for which the North East had the highest rate among the English regions and Wales. The North East and North West regions showed substantial falls in recorded crime rates per 1,000 population for each of the main offences in 2007/08, with the exception of other theft offences which only fell slightly in the North West and rose slightly in the North East. The greatest fall in both regions was for offences against vehicles which fell by 21 per cent in the North West and 17 per cent in the North East region.
According to the 2007/08 BCS, in the majority of the English regions and Wales risk of household and personal crime as well as rates of burglary, vehicle-related theft and violent crime were similar to the overall figures for England and Wales (Table 6b). There were a few exceptions:
In the London region, risk of personal crime and the rate of vehicle-related theft were significantly higher than for England and Wales overall. 2 Rates of recorded crime in London and other cities will be affected by the size of the transient or visiting population relative to the resident population and may therefore over represent the number of crimes relative to the real population of potential victims.
In the East of England, risk of household crime as well as rates of burglary, vehicle related theft and violent crime were significantly lower than for England and Wales. In the South West and in Wales, risk of household and personal crime and the vehicle related theft rate were significantly lower than for England and Wales overall. In the North East, North West and the Yorkshire and the Humber regions, risk of household crime was significantly higher than for England and Wales overall."
I've lived both in London and Leeds and have tales to tell about both cities in terms of crime and what I have witnessed and experienced. My household and car insurance was much higher in Leeds, but violent crime is increasing at an alarming rate now in London and I have been the victim of an attempted mugging in broad daylight as have been a number of my friends. (I managed to hold onto my handbag in the tussle but it was a nasty experience)
I have every sympathy with you pocketvenus as London is not user friendly at all for disabled people. Hope the move goes well to York.
Croatia has a lot going for it in terms of a low national crime rate, and I hope it stays that way........
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Post by Slatkica on Aug 13, 2008 12:49:04 GMT 1
I don't know why but I can notice druggies a mile away when in York. They just don't "fit" with their walk, look etc. Maybe because yocals are slightlly better dressed than your average Brit or maybe because of all tourists who just look different. Dunno but, for some reason, every time I go to York I just seem to notice druggies more than anywhere else (London, Hull etc) Could be just me... I have never seen as many druggies anywhere in Europe as in London. I admit that East Hull (Bransholme/Longhill, etc.) is really dodgy and people who live there give the town a bad name, but West Hull is beautiful, particularly the Old Town. On my hen night in York back in 1998 I was drunk, so I wouldn't have noticed druggies or anyone else for that matter:) Where in London where you living? London has it's good and bad points. There's the rich areas and the more urban ones. Really you'll only get trouble if you go looking for it in the wrong places. Apart from the occasional drunk, or mugger. I've happily walked around central at 5 in the morning without any hassle. Even been in Camden on an all nighter, talk about ruff, you've seen it all once you spend a night round the streets there. Yet nothing, no problems. Like I said about the good and bad, all you have to do it was 10 mins down the road in Camden and your in Primrose hill, it's like another planet. You get caught up in gang culture, violence, happen to live in a dodgy area, than yes you probably will face some trouble, but other wise I don't see what's your problem with London. It's the most multicultural city in europe, there's always things going on, and the sites are amazing.
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Post by polako on Aug 13, 2008 12:57:47 GMT 1
Slatkica, London is changing for the worse unfortunately in terms of crime rate and there is no getting around the stats. I agree it all depends on where you are living in London as to how bad the crime rate is, but violent crime is affecting all parts of London now unfortunately including the suburbs. My attempted mugging happened in one of the most quiet parts of London in broad daylight.
But it is a great city nevertheless......
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Post by davedogma on Aug 13, 2008 13:22:36 GMT 1
On a slightly different note but if we're talking about English places... Couple of things that stick in my mind: 1. Brixton - went in with an open mind, came out completely and utterly disappointed. All those wrong labels, stereotypes and "things that are not rue" turned out to be correct. 2. Bradford - same as 1 (apart from outskirts which are still beautiful and still have old-Yorkshire look) 3. Newcastle-under-Lyme - the strangest, most miserable, most dreadfully dead dull and non-existent place I've ever seen 4. Geordieland - eh?! 5. Morecambe Bay - same as 3 Don't take it the wrong way, only my experiences/opinions and might completely differ from yours
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Post by polako on Aug 13, 2008 13:30:19 GMT 1
davedogma, how is chapeltown these days? Now that is one scarey place at night.......but I loved Leeds when I was there.....
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Post by davedogma on Aug 13, 2008 13:52:09 GMT 1
same as before just more scary been ONCE in a pub in chappeltown (few times through it commuting) and that was enough don't know if you were student or working in leeds but might bring memories: my daily route is m62, m621, a643 (off elland road) and armley gyratory. grrrreat, and people in cro are complaining about traffic
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Post by polako on Aug 13, 2008 14:06:52 GMT 1
Thought you might say that about chappeltown.....LOL Went there once at night (by mistake I should add) with a longhaired male student (trendy long hair)- he got mistaken for a certain lady! LOL
Give otley my love.....
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Post by pocketvenus on Aug 13, 2008 14:46:36 GMT 1
I simply dislike the whole of London, end of. It is unfriendly and crime-ridden and makes me even more nervous than I am naturally. Lewisham and Hither Green are the worst areas of all and on the few occasions I have had to be there I have almost had a panic attack on the street. Every day on the local news we hear about yet another stabbing, and a couple of months ago a group of chavs even threw a cat into the Thames! The gap between rich and poor is immense, and the snobbery of the mega-rich is unbearable. And the chavs make Northern chavs look like girl thingy cats. The Housemartins had the right idea when they called their first album London 0 Hull 4 !
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Post by Slatkica on Aug 13, 2008 14:48:14 GMT 1
I simply dislike the whole of London, end of. It is unfriendly and crime-ridden and makes me even more nervous than I am naturally. Lewisham and Hither Green are the worst areas of all and on the few occasions I have had to be there I have almost had a panic attack on the street. Every day on the local news we hear about yet another stabbing, and a couple of months ago a group of chavs even threw a cat into the Thames! The gap between rich and poor is immense, and the snobbery of the mega-rich is unbearable. And the chavs make Northern chavs look like girl thingy cats. The Housemartins had the right idea when they called their first album London 0 Hull 4 ! Nice. So I take it you wouldn't be a fan of Nottinghill Carnival..
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Post by pocketvenus on Aug 13, 2008 15:19:41 GMT 1
I'd rather stick hot pokers in my eyes - with my contact lenses still in!
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