Is it safe to walk the streets of London?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/...gland-london-14782722

This is not 18th century Georgian England, the days of Footpads and the Bow Street runners, no this is London in the year 2011.

The difference being, back in the 18th century they knew how to deal with footpads, and that was to string them up at Tyburn.

[27-steps]

Is it safe to walk the streets at night?, the question for each indvidual is are you personally frightened to go out at night?.

[anotheoldgit]

Has no one any comments to make regarding the necessity for the police to escort children to school for their own safety, in 21st century London?

[Gromit]

Children are victims because they are good targets.

They are likely to have expensive phones or iPods. I am guessing they are more likely to be robbed by other children. 40 years ago when I was a kid, they went for kids' dinner money.

It is not a sign that crime is any worse, it is a sign that we are all (including children) much better off.

[anotheoldgit]

/// It is not a sign that crime is any worse, it is a sign that we are all (including children) much better off.///

Anyone else puzzled by this logic?

[Gromit]

Children have always had property stolen by other children.

Just that now, that is likely to be a £400 phone or £150 iPod.

[pa___ul3]

aye, 15 years ago it was their Nike Air Max. If the police are putting 1000 extra officers on the streets to minimise this then it has to be a good thing, I'd assume it's a time when not much crime is going on elsewhere so it wouldn't be a case of requiring the resources elsewhere.

[anotheoldgit]

Once a kid would be held up by another kid for the apple in his pocket or perhaps a few marbles.

These days it's a £400 phone or £150 iPod. needing police escorts.

So crime has got worse then?

[craft1948]

I think there are more robberies nowadays as there is more to steal. When you were poor, years ago, you were literally close to starvation, nowadays if you are poor you don't have the latest high tech phone/flat screen TV/trainers.

[mightyWBA]

7000 executions in 60 years is still one every 3 days Gromit..A fair effort if the appeals system was as long winded as it is nowadays.
Most of those convicted probably snuffed it waiting to snuff it!

[Gromit]

So that is 2 robbers caught and executed a week in the whole of England and Wales. There were definitely a lot more robberies than that, so my conclusion that nearly all crime went unpunished is accurate.

[nannybooby]

Its safe to walk the streets in our village - but best you take a tourch we voted to have no street lights here about 5 years ago'w also have no mobile phone coverage......wonderful you only give people you want your house no. and everyone else your mobby .

[Gromit]

No crime has not got worse.

If apples were being stolen then they wouldn't deploy extra police. It is expensive phones. It is the value of the booty that has risen, not the number of crimes.

[rov1100]

There was no mention of blacks being responsible for this low level crime.

Is that because they have brought so much into the country for which we should be thankful for!

[emmie]

no i don't believe it is, as to crime, well there's plenty of it, just like the 18th Century, however we don't hang little children for the crime of poverty, or for being a homosexual, but now we have children killing other children over respect, and drugs. London is home to over 700 gangs, or so the stats say. Many rule the roost in some areas of the capital, and i wouldn't venture forth in some places during the day, let alone at night.