Lately the news here in London has depicted this city as a boiling hotbed of discontent and anger. As a city grows in the statistics of violent crimes and grows in the number of deaths, therefore deeming this city as an urban area growing in danger and peril. With the latest statistics from the ‘Independent’ highlighting that 2018 has been the first year ever where “London’s murder rate overtakes New York’s, with a significant increase in knife crime, as 15 dying in February nine of whom were aged 30 or younger. London also suffered 22 fatal stabbings and shootings in March, higher than the 21 which took place in New York, according to the report in the Sunday Times. These concerns with the well-being and safety of our neighbourhoods here in London have recently swelled in significance as one month ago, on the 27th of March a new tragedy has emerged from my own community. As the body of David Potter, 50, was discovered after officers forced entry into a home on Tooting High Street, after neighbours raised concerns of the resident’s safety. One resident of south-west London has stated that “the increase of crime has made me more aware of my need to be safe and street wise, especially when coming home late from events at night when it is darker.” Similarly, Jeremy Corbyn stating in a recent speech presented to the Parliament that “violent crime is raising, police numbers are down and Chief constables saying that ‘they no longer have resources to keep communities safe.”
However, Lloyd Figgins who is founder of the LFL Global Risk Mitigation consultancy argues that the world is ‘probably not’ becoming increasingly dangerous, but that ‘because of social media’ it enables issues to be brought to light and shared more. Therefore, showing that crime and cities are not becoming more dangerous, but that they are getting more coverage and effecting more people than many years ago when there weren’t the same forms of communication.
What do you think, is London and the world in which we live becoming more dangerous? And how does this effect the way that you think and feel about our city?
