Is London Dangerous?

London is one of the biggest cities in the world and is a popular destination for tourists, however with knife crime on the rise and violent scenes like the London riots, some may be hesitant to visit or move to the area. So is London dangerous? Should tourists be concerned about visiting? We’ve done the research, so you don’t have to. Take a look.

1. Is London Dangerous?
2. Dangerous Places In London
3. Is London A Safe Place To Live?
4. What Are The Safest Areas In London?
   
5. What Parts Of London Should Tourists Avoid?
6. Where Are The Ghettos In London?
7. Where Should I Not Live In London?
8. Is London Safe At Night?
9. Is London A Dangerous Place?

Is London Dangerous?

A common question asked about London, is whether it is dangerous or not. When looking at the crime data published by the Metropolitan Police, it can be seen that during the first two months of 2021, over 100,000 crimes were registered. The top three areas with the highest amount of crime were:

1. Croydon – 4,781
2. Newham – 4,733
3. Tower Hamlets – 4,572

Dangerous Places In London

When thinking about the most dangerous areas of London, it is important to look at violent crime as this is the type of crime that poses the most danger to the public.  In order to rank the most dangerous areas of London, it is important to work out the number of violent crimes related to the number of people living in the area to see how saturated the area is with violent crime. Westminster came out as having the highest violent crime rate per 1000 people in 2020. Take a look at the results.

1. Westminster (Total Number of Crimes: 49,400; Crime Rate per 1,000 People: 195.78)
2. Camden (Total Number of Crimes: 28,423; Crime Rate per 1,000 People: 112.51)
3. Kensington and Chelsea (Total Number of Crimes: 24,436; Crime Rate per 1,000 People: 109.01)
4. Hackney (Total Number of Crimes: 23,721; Crime Rate per 1,000 People: 100.95)
5. Islington (Total Number of Crimes: 23,910; Crime Rate per 1,000 People: 100.62)

Is London A Safe Place To Live?

What Are The Safest Areas In London?

When looking into the safest areas to live in London, again, it is important to look at the number of crimes per 100,000 people. Movebubble looked into the safest location within the city and found that Richmond was the safest, with only 54 crimes per 1,000 people in the last year – just under found times lower than the most dangerous area of Westminster.

1. Richmond – Crime rate of 54 crimes per 1,000 people
2. Bexley – Crime rate of 56 per 1,000 people
3. Kingston-upon-Thames – Crime rate of 57 crimes per 1,000 people
4. Sutton – Crime rate of 57 crimes per 1,000 people
5. Harrow – Crime rate of 63 crimes per 1,000 people

What Parts of London Should Tourists Avoid?

In general, London is safe for tourists and comes high in the rankings of safe cities around the world for tourists to visit. The main crimes that tourists should watch out for is pickpocketing and petty theft, but this is common in many tourist areas. Simple steps can be used by tourists to prevent this. There are some London boroughs that have the highest knife and gun crimes rates, so tourists might want to avoid these – Southwark, Lambeth, Brent, Haringey, and Hackney, however, these crimes are not specifically targeted at tourists and are instead related to gang crime.

Where Are The Ghettos In London?

While the term ‘ghettos’ is outdated and has negative connotations, there are some areas with poorer quality housing and higher levels of poverty. The most deprived areas of the capital city are Winstanley and the York Road housing estates.

Within these areas, there are high-rise towers and ‘slab blocks’ that were built in the 1950s and 1960s that are in a state of disrepair. They are overcrowded and run down, and poverty and gang crime within the area is rife. The areas were even cited in the London Riots reports where they were described as ‘difficult to manage.

Where Should I Not Live In London?

As mentioned previously, the London borough of Westminster has the highest rate of crime per person, followed by Camden and Kensington. These areas are, however, known to have a good reputation so take this in mind when choosing where to live. It is advised that you do not live in areas with high areas of gang crime, including the Winstanley and York Road estates.

Is London Safe At Night?

In general, London is a safe place to travel around at night however, it is important to stay alert and use common sense, just like you would in any city.  Firstly, make sure that you know your route when heading out on a night out, this means that you will not be too busy concentrating on Google Maps on your phone to see what is going on around you. At night, try and travel via public transport or by taxi as this is a safer option. Make sure you have a list of the last times for public transport, as some do not run 24 hours a day, to ensure that you have a safe way home.

Is London A Dangerous Place?

In conclusion, London does have some dangerous areas but it also has many safe places to live. When considering if London is dangerous or not – it is important to remember that many cities have both dangerous and safe areas.

Interested in knowing more about London? Head over to our news page so that you can be updated with all the latest London news, and where you can find articles about London’s crime rate, and whether London is safer than Manchester.