The most touristic areas of London they do not pose any danger, as they are always full of people and most of them are controlled by closed circuit television cameras, including the subway and buses. However, as in any big city, there are certain neighborhoods that it is not recommended to visit, which we will list below.
Below you have an index with all the points that we are going to deal with in this article.
Article Index
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Most conflictive areas and neighborhoods
Decide which are the most conflictive areas and neighborhoods in London it is, in reality, a complicated task and subject to the personal vision of each person. Although we cannot generalize, it is true that there are a series of neighborhoods reputed to be dangerous or, at least, conflictive.
Broadly speaking, the South of London It encompasses the area most rejected to live by tourists and even Londoners themselves, due to the increasing crime rates that have been seen in recent years.
Neighborhoods such as Brixton, Stockwell and Balham, among others, are the least prestigious among tourists and natives. In general, these are areas in which there is great ethnic diversity and socio-economic problems, as well as a high rate of unemployment and crime.
Getting around by taxi, bus or metro is another thing that most tourists wonder if it is safe, especially in the case of the metro. As we have already mentioned, London is a city with a high rate of tourism.
For this same reason, during the day you will always find streets full of people walking and visiting the many tourist attractions of the British capital. The same picture can be observed when it comes to traveling by public transport, which in daylight does not entail any type of danger, except the presence of pickpockets.
De night, the last subway passes at 00:30 a.m., so after midnight you stop seeing people at the different stations and that is when it is recommended not to walk through these areas, since there could be the presence of street gangs or other troubled groups.
In reality, when it is said that a neighborhood is conflictive or dangerous, it does not refer to the neighborhood as a whole, but to certain areas within it in which the statistics indicate that it should be caution when accessing them.
They are usually subway stations, railroad crossings, certain parks or buildings, etc. In any case, here is a list of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the British capital:
Brixton
Located in the municipality of Lambeth (Greater London county or Greater London), Brixton borders Stockwell, Camberwell and Streatham, among others. In the period from 1981 to 1995, several disturbances took place within it, generally due to the deep social and economic problems that surround this area. 24% of its total population is of African and Caribbean origin, which is why this area is popularly known as the Afro-Caribbean community in London.
Elephant & castle
Elephant and Castle comprises the area traditionally known as Newington and it is actually a railway junction located in the Southwark district. Its fame has led to it being known by this name to the entire surrounding area, where there are places of certain popularity such as the Elephant and Castle Shopping Center or the large residential block Subway Central Heights.
H
It is a municipality known locally as The London Borough of Hackney and it is located northeast of the city. Like many other neighborhoods in London, it is a multi-ethnic area where there is a strong cultural contrast that creates strong contrasts among its inhabitants. He Borough of Hackney, made up of 60% of the population that does not belong to the white British group, it is the area with the worst reputation in the British capital.
Peckham
Peckham is another of the neighborhoods considered conflictive in South London, in the district of Southwark and 5,6 km southeast of Charing Cross. With its more than 11.000 inhabitants, it is one of the main urban centers of the Greater London metropolitan area. This neighborhood has a reputation for being unsafe because of the presence of gangs and also due to the riots that shook London and England in general in 2011.
Soho
This area belonging to the City of Westminster, in the West End of London, constitutes one of the main leisure areas of the city. Although today, due to the transformation that took place in the 80s, it is an area out of danger, many are those who still give it a certain bad reputation, perhaps due to the legacy left by the presence of sex shops and the nightlife during the XNUMXth century, which made it known for being dirty and dangerous. For its part, Chinatown It is not considered a dangerous area either, despite popular belief.
Terrorism
Terrorism is a threat that is very present in the United Kingdom, according to data from the Home Office (Home Office) British.
Thus, only during the period from 2001 to 2009, almost 2.000 people were arrested in the United Kingdom for causes directly related to terrorism, of which more than 400 were accused of committing a terrorist crime and almost 300 were convicted.
A total of 58 international organizations have been banned by the British Government, most under the Terrorism Act of 2000 (Terrorist Act 2000) and some under the Terrorism Act of 2006 for advocating it.
In short, according to the 2014 Global Terrorism Index, a person in the United Kingdom is 188 times more likely to be the victim of a homicide, while in the United States this figure is reduced to less than half.
Among the various terrorist attacks that London has seen in recent decades, the Attacks of July 7, 2005. Four explosions paralyzed the city's public transport network during rush hour, specifically at 8:50 a.m.
The first three happened in the london underground, while the fourth happened on a bus in Tavistock Square. A total of 56 people died after these attacks and 700 were injured. Ultimately, this was the bloodiest terrorist act in the UK in recent times.
Also, in 2013 another attack took place at the hands of the Islamist terrorism. It involved the murder of a soldier in Woolwich, a London neighborhood in the south-east of the capital that has acquired a reputation for being very dangerous as a result of this attack.
Since 2012, when the London 2012 Olympic Games took place, and especially in 2015, London has been at risk after the attacks in Paris (France) and Copenhagen (Denmark).
A new case occurred in March 2017, when a car attacked several passersby in the vicinity of the British Parliament, resulting in several fatalities. Again, on June 3 of this year, there was an attack in the city in which there were both run-ins and stabbings, which again left dozens of injuries and a significant number of deaths.
Helpful tips
As you may have already seen, if we travel to London and move through the tourist center, we will find ourselves in a safe zone in which we can stroll and do sightseeing in a relaxed way.
However, taking a series of basic precautions is always a highly recommended measure, since in London, as in other world capitals, there is the presence of thieves, pickpockets and other criminals who go after tourists because they know that their levels of caution are low for enjoying what the city has to offer.
So that you don't overlook these details, we give you a series of very useful tips.
Security agents
If you travel to London, you can stay calm because the city has the oldest police force in the world, the Metropolitan Police Service. This makes London a safe place for the tourist.
In addition, it has another 4.000 support agents called Police Community Support Officers who can be seen on the streets frequently and who are prepared to fight petty crimes.
Emergency number
The emergency number in the UK is 999. Calling this number will put you in direct contact with the police, fire brigade or ambulance. When calling, you will have to inform the reason for your emergency and, later, you will be given the corresponding service.
If you have suffered a mishap and need to find a pharmacy, go to the hospital or call a taxi, you will be interested in taking a look at our article Addresses and telephone numbers of interest in London.
Theft or crime in the subway
As we have mentioned above, the general presence of thieves and pickpockets in particular in the subway is high. For this reason, the London police have a special service called british transport police to deal with these crimes.
It also has offices in most major metro and train stations in the city. However, if you cannot access this service, you can always access the traditional Metropolitan Police.
Accommodation
A very basic measure is not to leave valuables or important documents in the hotel or hostel room. In any case, if for whatever reason you cannot carry your passport, credit cards or any other valuable object, it is best to rent a safe at the hotel.
At nightfall
We have already mentioned this before, but although the tube closes at 00:30 am and there are no high rates of night crime in London, we do not recommend walking through poorly lit streets at night.
If you still cannot avoid it, the most sensible thing to do would be to always be alert and avoid activities that may decrease your attention, such as looking at your mobile phone and wearing headphones. Also, if you take a night bus, we advise you to sit on the first floor, since it is a visible area for the driver.
Illegal taxis
In London there is an important network of pirate taxi drivers whose main objective is the unaware tourist of the London reality.
Special caution must be taken with these illegal minicabs, since not only do they not have the permission to transport passengers, but many times their vehicle does not comply with the optimal state for driving, thus increasing the risk of a traffic accident.
To make sure you don't take an illegal taxi, try to purchase it through an office and set the price of the journey as soon as you get in the car.
London with kids
If you are traveling to London with children, remember not to lose sight of your child for a single second. Although this advice may seem super obvious, it must be taken into account in a city as big as London.
With all the people strolling through the city center, neglecting yourself for a moment may mean not finding it in the crowd. If it is very young, a good option to be safe could be to use a child safety harness.
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