Living In London Nowadays
Hi all,
As someone not from London, I was recently searching for some answers to find out more about what living here is like so as to not be jumping into the dark. I ended up finding a really good thread that wasn't outdated on best areas to live when starting out (which you can find here, if of interest).
But, one question still on my mind is how safe London is. Ofcourse I've seen the news, and what particularly irks me is hearing stories of even normal people (those not wearing flashy watches, or seemingly not a target of any sort) getting robbed or mugged.
I'm not sure to what extent the areas in the aforementioned thread are affected (London Bridge, Southwark, Westminster, Waterloo, Angel etc.) but with the potential for returning at late hours in IB, I'm interested to hear about people's experiences & knowing how best to keep yourself safe.
Thanks!
Living in London as a continental European for quite a few months now, I never had any problem but might be linked to the fact that I don't go out clubbing / drinking and hence never ends up in the street super late.
One thing that blew my mind though was how fast certain "ideologies" were present and were gaining ground in this city, I'll let you have an idea about which ones I am referring too.
Hate to second that but it’s true. Lived in London for a decade now and certain parts of London as alluded to above are best avoided. Other than that never had an issue and it’s likely a safer city than others such as Paris.
I don't go clubbing either; glad to hear you're doing well.
As for the ideologies - do you mean the gangs etc.?
Been living in London for 1+ year now. Have a few friends whose phones got stolen in public areas. Some random dude took the phone and ran away
Other than that, never had any concerns about safety/experienced any bad experiences. Also, if you are working in IB, the bank will pay the taxi ride back home, so should not be a concern on weekdays. When partying on weekends, it's worth it to take an uber
Thanks for your thoughts.
I'd presume it only becomes feasible to own a car if working in the city when you're much more experienced? I've only ever heard of MDs owning cars so far, which I guess makes sense (given the fact they likely commute in + cost of parking / congestion charges etc.).
Even people who own cars rarely use them to drive to work.
1) There's very limited parking.
2) Driving in London is often MUCH slower than using public transport.
As someone who was born here I can say the areas in which most bankers will be living aren’t the most common spots for postcode wars, but pickpockets and phone snatching is likely a concern.
Wouldn’t stress about it, overall serious crime rates are lower than most other large metropolitan areas.
Thank you
What're postcode wars?
Gang beef in and/or over certain areas. I'm from London so I've seen/heard this before.
Spent 1 year in Paris and got robbed 2 times (Had a gun pointed at me once. I will let you guess the ethnicity of people who robbed me - Spoiler: they were not Asians)
I have now spent few years (4) in London and never had any issue / and I feel incredibly safe here (same for my girlfriend)
London has a similar proportion of the demographic you’re referring to so not quite sure on why that needed to be specified
Unfortunately, its the way it is. You are more likely to get robbed/mugged by certain ethniticies, so its a factor to take into account. In the end, its your safety we are talking about, would rather be politically incorrect than to potentially get stabbed / robbed
In my view, if you are a foreigner and come to a great country like France or the UK to become a thief / a rapist / a terrorist / take advantage of social benefits, you should be sent back in your original country ASAP. Fair enough, no? How could anyone disagree with this?
I agree and don’t see any where my initial comment could have suggested I don’t agree? Why is this a response to me haha
I think this is where people disagree
deleted
Fair amount of stabbing around Canary Wharf at night but as long as you wear your GS branded kevlar vest, you should be ok.
Why would anyone from GS roam around Canary Wharf? Gross
Born and raised London. Nothing will happen to you as long as you have common sense.
Don't be glued to your phone on the street, don't show your expensive watch all the time etc... you hear endless stories of people just staring at their phone on the street and it being snatched.
London is no worse than New York or any other global city for crime. Even in the areas that people often caution here, all you have to do is not be an idiot and you'll probably be fine. The real "bad" areas you're probably not going to even be looking at anyway.
I got stabbed in London while studying abroad lol
I still wanna live there tho, cool city
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.
Well said
Agreed, well said. Although it’s worth noting that the demographic change in London is a very recent phenomenon (relatively speaking).
Anyways funny story, I heard about a sign being put up in Bulgarian warning pickpockets that the police are always watching or something along those lines, had a laugh at that one.
Very well said!
Dicta et enim impedit possimus. Cupiditate animi quo nisi autem a. Tempora numquam cupiditate dolore quia. Neque numquam et ut est. Enim sequi rem tempore nihil. Quos illum ducimus nemo consequatur fugiat omnis qui.
Voluptatum et alias et non nostrum rerum. Debitis voluptates omnis veritatis et accusamus rerum. Vel sed voluptates tempore laboriosam ad soluta. Velit molestiae inventore praesentium. Explicabo corrupti accusantium animi accusamus unde voluptate consequatur. Deleniti et earum amet perferendis nihil adipisci. Ut non non mollitia laudantium laboriosam earum.
Et aspernatur qui in nisi perferendis autem quaerat. Non et aliquid repellat. Veniam ut harum maxime vel quidem quidem.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Id voluptatem et nemo hic consequatur similique. Nobis adipisci quas et dolor repellendus. Dolores labore magni cum qui repellendus.
Repudiandae natus ducimus provident corporis facilis aut. Illum quo non quis sequi debitis sint. Et quae numquam vero mollitia consequatur assumenda. Sapiente molestias non officia optio consequuntur.
Tempora illum quia qui numquam quae eum. Sunt voluptatum distinctio nihil cupiditate et corporis. Commodi autem fugit quo beatae optio. Similique maxime impedit quam officia omnis et ut. Dolore in quis velit amet. Quaerat officiis perspiciatis qui doloribus nisi.
Culpa voluptatem eum dolorem eos molestiae quas blanditiis. Autem qui enim rerum cum eaque aut eveniet. Asperiores non et atque corrupti sed. Tenetur quam velit id quia occaecati. Voluptatum dolorem vel in nam commodi.