Living In London Nowadays

As a black Londoner this thread makes me very uneasy ngl - this racial analysis isn't the thorough due diligence you think it is. The reality is petty crime in London is focused on central hotspots and perpetuated by a diverse network of organised gangs (Black, Balkan, Slavic, Asian, you name it) while the violent gang crime being referenced seldom results in direct harm to those residents uninvolved in gang activities. I've lived here all my life, and been out at night regularly in that time (as a woman, as well), with little issue, especially as compared to other cities in Europe (including many less diverse cities). This would indicate to me that criminals who do target individuals can tell when someone is not local to an area (e.g. seems uneasy, not following basic safety precautions that anyone with common sense would employ as 2nd nature) and take advantage of this fact. For a metro area of 15 odd million, while London is unfortunately experiencing an increasing crime rate, this has more to do with the deterioration of the police (a major criticism of the government domestically), evisceration of mental health services and increasing inequality, and you are still more likely to be victimised by your MD than a criminal here...

Moreover, (and I suspect the following will make me highly unpopular here haha) one thing that I worry about is the social discontent and resentment brewing here in London (and in other major cities in the West), which I think is contributing to the social disorder and crime we are witnessing. If the argument is the standard 'London is a 3rd world dump now with all these ethnics' you need to understand the perspective of those ethnic communities, many of whom are British citizens and lived in London for generations (far longer than you) who see our industry, with its gentrifying rents, facilitation of a zombie economy and REITs as the reason why their living standards have deteriorated. Whether this is wholly, partially or completely untrue is as irrelevant as me telling you that the vast majority of black people in London are law-abiding and lovely, because they (just like you) overvalue perception when it comes to personal issues like safety or wellbeing. We are on the cusp of having to have serious discussions in the UK about our overdependence on Finance and London (given regional inequality and the potential externalities of the City and Canary Wharf on the wider UK economy) and in the same way that I hope maturity and reason prevails in that discussion, it would be nice if the same courtesy could be extended with regards to crime. 

I do hope that anyone who comes to London enjoys themselves and has a safe, productive career here, but please don't come here if you are going to perpetuate the contempt for local residents which further fuels the fire.