Safety
Emmeline has just asked me an interesting question. She is considering coming to live here and wants to know if Greenwich is a safe area. What do you lot think?
I'd have thought that generally it is pretty safe - you have to pay a bit of attention at night in some bits, but that would go for anywhere in London. I have never felt really edgy here - but then I don't tend to wander round silly places on my own in the dead of night. I'd value your thoughts on this one...
I'd have thought that generally it is pretty safe - you have to pay a bit of attention at night in some bits, but that would go for anywhere in London. I have never felt really edgy here - but then I don't tend to wander round silly places on my own in the dead of night. I'd value your thoughts on this one...
Labels: Debates
posted by The Greenwich Phantom at
16:46
9 Comments:
I feel safe in Greenwich centre where I live and haven't had any problems and I always use common sence, which means e.g not using alleyways or other short cuts in late evening. I personally think that safety is also about perception and how one measures it in their own life. I have lived in areas where I felt perfectly safe, yet my neighbour wouldn't go out alone on Friday evening nor use public transportation late in the evening.
I feel extremely safe in Greenwich. Obviously I don't take any unnecessary risks with my personal safety.
I once left my front door open all night (by mistake) The following morning, I heard my neighbour calling my name from the foot of my stairs did I realise something wasn't quite right. Luckily all my possessions remained :-)
I feel very safe in my East Greenwich neighbourhood. I know most of my neighbours and I know they're looking out for us. You can't buy that kind of security. It reverberates down the line as I bump into friendly faces in the town centre, Blackheath, Lewisham, even as far afield as the National Gallery. I love that strong sense of community!
I think generally it's safe. A few exceptions where it can seem menacing are Friday and Sat nights when the drunken chavs spill out of the Wetherspoons at Cutty Sark, and the gangs of kids who sometimes hang around St Alfeges Passage (best to take long way around late evenings).
I agree with Katja that it is indeed all about perception. I think it's no worse (and in many ways better) than other South London areas, but I suppose it's what you are used to.
We've lived in Fingal Street for nearly 8 years now and haven't had a single problem. Our old neighbour had lived here his whole 38 years and said that during his lifetime nobody in this street had ever been burgled.
Not bad.
Its ok - I get bored of all the weeing in the street and st alfreges and the used condoms and ppl having sex in my neighbours garden. And bored of the parking meter theives too. Just irritants rather than dangerous. I think most of the danger is in Thamesmead. But the habitants of that area tend to spill into Greenwich and the INC bar for a tustle, create a mess and leave Greenwich licking its wounds.
Check the crime stats (http://www.crimestatistics.org.uk/tool/Default.asp?region=9&force=12&cdrp=243) to find out how 'safe' or not Greenwich is.
Never forget poverty, affluence and tourism are not good bedfellows and many crimes, especially dipping (pick pocketting) of tourists goes unreported.
I think it's got a little worse lately in the area that I live (Blackheath Standard). There have been a lot of bike thefts reported (I have read about a fair few and my bike wheel was stolen, my husband had his bike stolen and my friend got her bike taken, all within about 3 days) and a few muggings, too. I don't feel unsafe when I'm walking around but I feel less safe than I did 3 years ago due to these various crimes happening to me and people I know.
Being a country girl myself, and having moved up to London a few years ago, I have felt safer in Greenwich than anywhere else in london, but like Katja, it's just about using common sense. Although I have just had a burgler alarm fitted after our neighbours were robbed... I did speak to someone at the weekend who said they are working every hour possible to get more on their mortgage so they can move away from Thamesmead area as they can't cope with the gang fights anymore...
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