Been in London 5 minutes…..

fretmeister

Vintage65 said:

menamestom said:

Philly_Q said:

Which part of London are you in?

Fitzrovia.  Nice area, to be fair.

Be careful with your phone in public, they will be into your bank account before you know it.

They can try.

I don’t have any banking apps on my phone. 

Kittyfrisk

fretmeister said:

Vintage65 said:

menamestom said:

Philly_Q said:

Which part of London are you in?

Fitzrovia.  Nice area, to be fair.

Be careful with your phone in public, they will be into your bank account before you know it.

They can try.

I don’t have any banking apps on my phone. 

Even if you do, not using so any called free wi-fi & also having a VPN in place, will really help your security  

Revolutions

Wait, so not just one weirdo?

you’ve got the instigator, someone wanting to fight him, and then a third person up for a brawl? Never have I seen anything like this before in London since the 90s. Or after a football match.

menamestom

Revolutions said:

Wait, so not just one weirdo?

you’ve got the instigator, someone wanting to fight him, and then a third person up for a brawl? Never have I seen anything like this before in London since the 90s. Or after a football match.

Only one weirdo.  One was a guy probably late 70’s who got nothing but abused and stood up for himself.   Then the lad that helped was just having an innocent day in his tracksuit on WKD blue.  

Kebabkid

LionAquaLooper said:

I worked in Park Lane / Fitzrovia for a few years (before hybrid working was even a thing) and I have to say not once did I witness anything even remotely untoward happen. Sods law it happened to you on the one day you were there. 

Same here (worked on Berners St, off Goodge St for 30 yrs) and it's a wonderful area and very much a community, literally a few mins from Oxford St and Tottenham Court Rd. Such a shame and I hope the rest of your trip goes well.

Sporky

As I understand it, while the tories and their media chums like to paint London as a dangerous free-for-all run by criminals (because it lets them bash the mayor), London is actually one of the safest major cities in the world. You'd think they'd want to take credit for that, but apparently it's more important to run someone else down than big themselves up...

That doesn't, of course, mean nothing bad ever happens, and good on menastom for stepping in).

TeleMaster

Offset said:

These people are what baseball bats were made for.  Don't fuck about.

Weren't baseball bats made for baseball or did they realise after that there was a game called baseball that needed bats?

steer

London is a crazy place. Something always happens there - good things and bad things. Just the other day I found a hat full of money. And a short while late I was chased down the street by an angry guy with a guitar. Crazy place. 

Rob1742

I went a few weeks ago after avoiding it due to the amount of bad press it had.
We didn’t go out in jewellery, but didn’t see any trouble or feel unsafe at any point.
I asked a taxi driver how bad it’s getting, and he said he doesn’t see anything, it’s not changed and it’s all media hype.

I still will avoid wearing a watch when I go next, but the recent visit calmed my fears and we will start going again 

DrCornelius

Kebabkid said:. 

Same here (worked on Berners St, off Goodge St for 30 yrs) and it's a wonderful area and very much a community, literally a few mins from Oxford St and Tottenham Court Rd. Such a shame and I hope the rest of your trip goes well.

There always used to be a warm welcome at the Capricorn Club on Goodge Street

menamestom

Offset said:

These people are what baseball bats were made for.  Don't fuck about.

I did a few sessions of krav and used to do wrestling as a kid so it’s easy enough to thrown someone down.  I was going to punch him at first but thought better of that.  I’m kind of glad I used the right kind of force in hindsight.
He was facing the old guy, so I just came up from the side.   If he had have come at me directly It would have been far worse for him and I’d have been back to the police station explaining things.

Kittyfrisk

^ The very definition of 'reasonable force'. Go any further & as you say, you'd have been the bad guy explaining yourself at the station.

JEM

Kittyfrisk said:

^ The very definition of 'reasonable force'. Go any further & as you say, you'd have been the bad guy explaining yourself at the station.

Until you "throw someone down" and they hit their head and sustain a brain injury and you find yourself in the dock for manslaughter.

Brio

JEM said:

Kittyfrisk said:

^ The very definition of 'reasonable force'. Go any further & as you say, you'd have been the bad guy explaining yourself at the station.

Until you "throw someone down" and they hit their head and sustain a brain injury and you find yourself in the dock for manslaughter.

Somedays you need to choose a side. .

Kurtis

steer said:

London is a crazy place. Something always happens there - good things and bad things. Just the other day I found a hat full of money. And a short while late I was chased down the street by an angry guy with a guitar. Crazy place. 

Yeah, I was having a conversation with my old man (wish he'd wear his bloody hearing aid!) and some bugger ran up and sideswiped me! 

menamestom

JEM said:

Kittyfrisk said:

^ The very definition of 'reasonable force'. Go any further & as you say, you'd have been the bad guy explaining yourself at the station.

Until you "throw someone down" and they hit their head and sustain a brain injury and you find yourself in the dock for manslaughter.

It’s a controlled manoeuvre, like the police would use, so no real chance of a head injury.
Had it of continued I dread to think what would have happened to the old fella.  He was shouting I’ll fucking kill you as well, not just messing about.

But yeah, you have to be carefull!

Funkfingers

menamestom said:

Revolutions said:

Wait, so not just one weirdo?

Only one weirdo.  

Invite him/her/it to register on this forum. Bound to fit in.

Kebabkid

DrCornelius said:

Kebabkid said:. 

Same here (worked on Berners St, off Goodge St for 30 yrs) and it's a wonderful area and very much a community, literally a few mins from Oxford St and Tottenham Court Rd. Such a shame and I hope the rest of your trip goes well.

There always used to be a warm welcome at the Capricorn Club on Goodge Street

https://fitzrovianews.com/2010/06/05/fitzrovia-vice-continues-after-sex-club-closure/

DavidR

Son number 2 intervened to stop a man beating up a woman a few years ago in central London. Got thumped for his trouble but stopped the agro. Few minutes later police stopped my son 'cos he had blood on his shirt. Picked him up, went back to street, arrested guy, son went to court as witness, guy prosecuted for abusing his girlfriend. Full marks to London police and to him I thought. I had always told my 3 that all it takes for evil to prevail is that good folk do nothing, but tbh I don't think I would have intervened alone. Son in early 30's but not particularly fighty.

I have always felt safe in most parts of London although you should, as everywhere, be more cautious at night. Only ever experienced one amateurish pick-pocketing attempt on a bus. Stuff happens but generally it's safe and it's a big place. Policing is targeted. e.g. Oxford Street which seems to be a bit of a focus in the last few years.

fwiw, London currently 14th safest city in the world in survey below. Out of 60.

Safest Cities in the World 2024 (worldpopulationreview.com)

Snap

I go, and have gone regularly to London for maybe 20 years, My office is there. can honestly say I have never felt even vaguely in danger. 
Contrast that with various small towns in the UK where a dust up is almost waiting to happen all the time.

I find small towns/small cities to be the worst, where a new face is a good target for a bit of agro. 

Nottingham is a good example for that, a right dog hole