Is the situation in the UK regarding crime, safety and immigration really as bad as people online make it seem, or is a lot of it exaggerated/political propaganda?
Posted by Lesiu04@reddit | AskABrit | View on Reddit | 192 comments
As someone from Poland, I’m curious about how people actually living in the UK see the current situation there.
Online especially on social media.
I constantly see claims that the UK is becoming unsafe because of immigration: rising crime, assaults, theft, people feeling unsafe in cities, etc.
Some people describe it like the country is collapsing, while others say it’s mostly exaggerated political propaganda.
So I wanted to ask actual Brits or people living in the UK: How does it really look in everyday life?
Is the situation genuinely getting worse in terms of safety and social issues, or is the internet amplifying isolated cases and pushing fear-based narratives? I’m asking in good faith and I’m genuinely interested in honest perspectives from people who live there.
ShortFlamingo3409@reddit
It's a lot of Right Wing noise. I've lived in London my entire life (all 52 years of it) and not much has actually changed here. If anything is physically safer. There are some random stabbings normally connected to mental health issues but the majority are gang related. If you don't join a gang and treat London as you would any other city it's actually very safe.
Jondazefreakofnature@reddit
I would say it’s more dangerous for young people/teenagers now than it was in the 80’s and 90’s. Even if they’re not in a gang, an altercation with others of that age certainly carries more risk than it used to.
ShortFlamingo3409@reddit
How many young people/teenagers do you know that have been stabbed? I don't know any and don't know anyone that's known any. The only person I did know in the UK who was killed was killed by her boyfriend at home.
Speedboy7777@reddit
It’s mostly a load of shit.
Crime exists in the UK yes. However crime exists everywhere.
From what I see around, there is a massive drive of negative content around the UK and British stuff generally. Ignore it, and have less social media in your life.
fractals83@reddit
It’s mostly MAGA propaganda with a mixing of Russian psyops, it worked well for those counties around Brexit and continues on today.
Britain is one of the safest western countries there is.
Lesiu04@reddit (OP)
I don't think I need to limit social media, it's enough that I have a brain that I know how to use. That's why I'm asking.
theblacksmithno8@reddit
Generally violent crimes is lower than ever and 99.9% of rhe country is as safe as safe can be but there are certain suburbs or city centres that can be pretty dicey, some of that is due to immigration some of it is just due to it being a poor part of town.
Basically no, your instinct is correct, there are a few very isolated places where immigration has made it more dangerous but overall its massively exaggerated.
frankievejle@reddit
Certain areas and city centres being dicey has basically always been a thing. That exact answer would probably also have been said if someone asked this question in 2010, 1995, 1980 etc.
theblacksmithno8@reddit
I know lol that's exactly what im saying.
But its also true some of those dicey areas have become dicey within the last 30 years specifically because of immigration.
Dic_Penderyn@reddit
Then you need to be aware of the phenomenon of 'clickbait'. Most online news sources make more money the more views and clicks their stories have. They are therefore including as many of these scary stories as possible because they have found that the scarier, or more sensational a story is, the more views each story has. It therefore appears that more scary stuff is happening than before, but in actuality it is just that more of these stories are included on these sites now, and in many cases, made to sound worse than they actually are, or just invented by the journalists themselves and made up.
Lesiu04@reddit (OP)
Of course, in today's world, where we are flooded with Russian propaganda (especially Poland), you have to be careful what articles you read and what you watch. I caught myself a few times falling for some anti-Ukrainian narrative. Later, it turned out that the video was doctored and the information was false.
SpiritedGuest6281@reddit
Generally crime rate is down, especially violent crime. However fear of crime and exposure to it through the daily news cycle is up massively. So people are more scared, but actually impacted less.
Dic_Penderyn@reddit
Yes, and what most people do not realise is that nowadays, many if not most online news sites make their money depending on how many clicks and views their stories have. These sites have found that the more interesting or sensational or scary a story's headline sounds, the more views it will have. This means there has been a huge increase in those kinds of stories by that type of newspaper. The Daily Mail is not nicknamed 'The Daily Fear' for nothing.
Lesiu04@reddit (OP)
Yes, I know that everything you see on the internet is not true, but there is a lot of it. I just wanted an objective opinion from you.
zka_75@reddit
I've lived in London for 30 years, if social media is to be believed (and seemingly a lot of it coming from the US from people who have clearly never even been here) you would think it's a hellhole whereas I cannot emphasise enough that that is total and utter bullshit. There is crime, as there is literally anywhere of course, but the statistics show (and it backs up my personal experience) that it is extremely safe.
SnooStrawberries2342@reddit
There's a lot of it because it's being pushed online by individuals and entities that want to destabilize the country for their own ends.
I live in a city of 250,000 people and there is very little violent crime. Most of the crime in the city centre is related to drug addicts and none of those are immigrants.
We have a growing Nigerian immigrant community and they're the most law-abiding, god-fearing people you could hope to meet. They're literally keeping our churches open.
Lesiu04@reddit (OP)
There's a lot of this type of stuff, especially on Instagram. Maybe it's showing up for me because the algorithm has figured out that I see this kind of stuff more often?
SnooStrawberries2342@reddit
It's partly that, and partly that it's being artificially inflated
FoodByCourts@reddit
This
ruffianrevolution@reddit
Nar, it's fine. There's just so many more cameras.
tgy74@reddit
I grew up in the 1980s. Teachers used to beat up pupils, football hooliganism and violent street crime was a national hobby, and we used to be encouraged to write letters to a horrific paedophile asking him to 'fix' it for us, while regularly being shown films in schools telling us not to take sweets from strangers. Two kids disappeared from a local park and were never seen again when I was like 9. It wasn't even on the local TV news.
I don't know, but the world my kids are growing up in seems a whole lot safer than that.
Maz-Wye@reddit
Depends Where in UK You are BUT things Really Are Getting WORSE, Most Rapidly in London
withnailstail123@reddit
Statistics say the complete opposite
Maz-Wye@reddit
"Lies, Damn Lies AND Statistics!!" Cant remember Who said it
Relative-Chain73@reddit
It's really bad, it's really difficult to feel safe now.
formandovega@reddit
It's all propaganda.
What actually happened is that dumb neoliberal morons have been running the country into the ground for the past 40 years. They sold off all of our public services to foreign billionaires. They told us all austerity would fix anything. They even told people brexit was a good idea
Now that they've noticed that we've noticed that they suck they've started going hard on the blaming immigrant thing.
Immigrants trans people etc. depends who's the easiest target at the time
There is no epidemic of crime that I've noticed. Just everyone is slightly poorer and angry they can't afford anything.
Jondazefreakofnature@reddit
The scary thing is, what happens when reform gets in and everything’s still shit. Will people realise what you just said or will they just go even harder on the immigrant bashing?
Theedge789@reddit
Social media would have you believe that everyone in the uk is getting mugged on a daily basis thanks to there being too many immigrants. Most immigrants are just like the rest of the population, some bad, mostly decent, just trying to get on with life and pay the bills.
Statistically you’re less likely to be attacked in London than you are in most American cities. Which is ironic as it’s usually Americans on social media telling us how bad we’ve got it when they’ve never even been here themselves. It’s all exaggerated fear mongering.
The reality of British life is that day to day, things are mundanely normal.
Lesiu04@reddit (OP)
You probably don't like Americans because I see a comment referring to them.
Hulla_Sarsaparilla@reddit
It’s not that people don’t like Americans, but it’s true that a lot of the fabrications about safety in the UK and Europe in general are shared online by people who are in the US and are just repeating stuff that’s not even remotely true, I see it online all the time.
Lesiu04@reddit (OP)
I meant that you Brits probably don't like Americans because I see that someone in a row is already writing about them. Why are people downvoting?
No-Adverti@reddit
Because your logic is flawed
MonkeyBoy697@reddit
You’re being downvoted because you asked a question, and when people explain to you that it’s bullshit and propaganda, instead of addressing that, you’ve only focused on the fact someone mentioned American right wing commentators pushing that narrative online rather than the thing you actually asked about, which seems a hell of a lot like you yourself are some kind of bot and/or agitator and not acting in good faith
Lesiu04@reddit (OP)
No, I'm not a bot, I just misunderstood. I was asking about Americans in general, not about American right-wing columnists. But I understand now.
MonkeyBoy697@reddit
But you specifically did not ask about Americans in your post. You asked about the reality of Britain vs the online narrative on social media. Replies mentioned that the negative portrayal and propaganda is largely from US based content creators and you said that they just don’t like Americans, rather than addressing the problem itself that they’re spreading misinformation.
TheeHappyDude@reddit
Because you're a tit
Rhesus-Positive@reddit
Because the claims you want us to address are in part being amplified by Americans
Why ask if you don't want an explanation?
Theedge789@reddit
Because Americans tend to be amongst our most vocal critics and think they know the place better than those who actually live here. A lot of the negativity towards the uk is as a result of those attitudes.
And obviously it’s not all Americans, as I said, I have met many decent Americans over the years. It just so happens that there is a significant proportion who also accept and spread false propaganda and they tend to be the ones that are heard the most
TinmartheTemplar@reddit
Its also because those type of comments are very hypocritical and flat out wrong. London in all metrics is pretty safe. You are more likely to be shot and/or stabbed in the US than in London. In my almost 3 decades of life I've seen zero stabbings.
Hulla_Sarsaparilla@reddit
Because the person you’re responding to explained why it’s crazy that it’s often Americans stating how unsafe the UK is when statistically the US is much more dangerous.
Evilscotsman30@reddit
Yep I remember watching the American streamer asmongold react to fake ai videos of race riots in the UK while pushing his right wing narrative, there was supposedly all this chaos whilst in reality fuck all was happening at the time lol.
Hulla_Sarsaparilla@reddit
The thing is, this stuff generates a lot of hits, and therefore gets ad revenue and makes these people money.
They don’t necessarily even care if it’s true or not, and the social platforms don’t particularly care if it’s not true either, it drives usage and that’s all they care about.
I’ve just been listening to a podcast called Gatekeepers about it, worth a listen but absolutely terrifying tbh.
Ophiochos@reddit
Although that brief stint of twitter showing locations revealed that a lot of people who *claim* to be in the US were actually all over the world and either bots or being paid. But yes, they do appear to be very much US posters who spread all the nonsense.
Theedge789@reddit
Yes I will accept that this is also increasingly the case so maybe it’s troublemakers giving the US a bad name. Either way, it clearly serves its nefarious purposes
Ophiochos@reddit
we don't know if it's bad-faith Americans paying for what they believe to be amplified, or 'enemies' of America setting them up. But while the Orange Buffoon is President, I think we have to assume they are *responsible*;)
Theedge789@reddit
Yep, it could be one or the other or both but either way, there’s a reason why it’s framed for American audiences. One, because they are the largest cohort on most western social media platforms and two, the false information is lapped up and disseminated by actual American accounts without corroboration or critical thinking applied
Theedge789@reddit
Precisely
Dic_Penderyn@reddit
Thats a wild assumption to make, with absolutely no evidence. You did not even say 'possibly', but 'probably', which means a greater than 50% chance!
Theedge789@reddit
I like Americans, always been kind and hospitable to me when I’ve visited the US.
What I don’t like is disingenuous and ignorant people spreading false information and unfortunately, when it comes to disparaging Britain and what state it’s in, the Americans tend to lead the way mainly because it fits and suits a specific political agenda.
TopBookChat1105@reddit
I think where you live. I live up in the highlands of Scotland and it’s not something I ever experience daily.
FracturedMoonlights@reddit
Give it time.
Manifestival1@reddit
Foreign nationals commit 15% of sexual offences convicted. The rest are perpetrated by British born (mostly) men. It appears to be the media trying to incite hatred and division as usual. And too many without capacity to critically analyse are buying into it as usual.
J0J0M0@reddit
"british born" but often not of british ancestry.
Manifestival1@reddit
Who cares? The issue being discussed is about recent immigrants.
Hot_Recognition_4864@reddit
This fall inline with foreign nationals making up 16% of the population too
Manifestival1@reddit
Foreign-born is 14-20% so thereabouts yeah.
JCDU@reddit
Well, first off look at actual official crime figures not whatever alarmist story someone pushes on social media.
Second, yes it's massively exaggerated especially by the US gun & anti-immigration lobby and their various media outlets and bot armies because they want to pretend that if you ban guns everyone will just go around stabbing each other instead, and that London is now under sharia law which proves we need to deport everyone we don't like the look of.
This site for example cites WHO data and isn't trying to sell you something:
https://www.opencrime.us/international-comparison
EitherChannel4874@reddit
I love how they claim we have sharia law when the uk has the most pubs in the world and a binge drinking culture.
Every supermarket has pork for sale and the only women that keep their hair covered are the ones whose religion require it.
The sharia ain't shariaring.
New_Line4049@reddit
Crime figures arent helpful when the police arent responding to all crime. Im not suggesting the internet doesnt exaggerate things, but the official figures are also biased the other way. Neither are an accurate picture.
SnooStrawberries2342@reddit
Are you under the impression a crime isn't recorded if the police don't "respond"?
If you have issues with those numbers the Crime Survey for England & Wales is the most unbiased account because it doesn't rely on any official figures or police stats and isn't affected by changing definitions of crime - it's all based on the public's experience: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingseptember2025
Felicfelic@reddit
I was just about to mention the same survey! I would add as a caveat though that some crimes are still likely to be under reported or have some non-response bias, especially in cases where it can be harder to talk about (or genuinely blocked out from their memory) like sexual assault. Or in cases where the crime is ongoing and theres fear of relatiation, like abuse of children, domestic violence or gang violence. In the case of childhood abuse, the child would likely need permission from a guardian to participate, which could obviously skew things
BocaSeniorsWsM@reddit
I'd just add that, and I'm not disagreeing with you, what you've outlined would apply to nearly every civilised country's crime statistics, right? So if we were to compare ours with another country, both will be as accurate as can reasonably expected.
New_Line4049@reddit
No. I understand reported crimes are recorded. Many crimes go unreported though. Look at our roads, its pretty common to see people breaking traffic laws and not getting caught. Most people arent reporting everytime they see someone speeding, lane hogging, etc etc.
SnooStrawberries2342@reddit
If you think speeding and lane hogging are noteworthy issues in the UK you should try driving in Eastern Europe. Poland for example have improved their roads in recent years but still have about double the UK's rate of road accident deaths.
I've noticed less consideration for others on British roads and elsewhere in recent times. Seems there's less empathy about but I don't think that's a UK specific thing, and it's not the sort of thing that would show up in any kind of crime statistics, so it has no relevance to your point about bias in crime statistics.
New_Line4049@reddit
OP never asked if it was better or worse than Poland.
"So it has no relevance to your point about bias in crime statistics" so why did you bring it up in response to that point?
obliviousfoxy@reddit
someone lane hogging is hardly a big deal compared to crimes against the person.
New_Line4049@reddit
True. But crimes are crimes. OP specifically asked about crimes as one item they were interested in, not crimes against the person.
obliviousfoxy@reddit
>
I constantly see claims that the UK is becoming unsafe because of immigration: rising crime, assaults, theft, people feeling unsafe in cities, etc.
New_Line4049@reddit
"Is the situation in the UK regarding crime, safety and immigration really as bad as people online make it seem..."
Literally the title. Those are 3 separate items.
obliviousfoxy@reddit
did you only read the title?
sorry but it’s obvious what OP means
New_Line4049@reddit
The title is the primary question, the text is additional supporting detail. I answered the primary question.
obliviousfoxy@reddit
oh my goodness dude
Dic_Penderyn@reddit
Minor traffic offences are not a crime. If they were most of us would be classed as criminals several times over!
m0noclemask@reddit
Ofcourse, however, I would rate the UK 'moderate' with regard to reporting crime [similar to the US or Canada, or other western European countries, lower than Germany or the Netherlands though]...
Reporting rate is higher than for instance Poland.
There is probably more crime in the UK than in Poland, but it also gets reported more frequently than in Poland per estimated number of crimes. Broadly: UK citizens report 40% of crimes, Polish citizens report 20-25% of all crimes...
On average the UK has low crimerates though, just not compared to Poland.
Lesiu04@reddit (OP)
It's true that Poland is often considered a role model by right-wing media because the statistics of rape and violence are low in our country, but no one thinks that it's because the reporting rate is even lower, the police often send away raped women, and even six months ago there was a famous film about domestic violence called "Dom Zły" and how the system discriminates against women.
m0noclemask@reddit
Legal diffrences, police culture, government culture and reporting culture... those things can differ greatly, and influence statistics obviously.
VOODOO285@reddit
Exactly this. They don’t report crimes properly or include all details to weed out demographics or other important details. I wouldn’t trust crime figures that suggest things one way or another.
Whulad@reddit
Yes but there are crime surveys; hospital admissions for stabbings and even the cynical old public aren’t failing to report actual murders.
New_Line4049@reddit
Sure. But stabbings and murders hardly represent all crime. What about the low level stuff. Shoplifting, speeding, driving without insurance etc etc etc.
Felicfelic@reddit
There are crime surveys done by ONS that dont rely on the reporting of crimes, as the sample is not selected based on reporting crimes, and the questions cover both reported and unreported crimes.
I'm not an expert in this survey, but i would expect there would be under-reporting/non-response bias for some crimes, particularly abuse of children, domestic violence, sexual assault, and gang-related crime largely because they're difficult to talk about, and because of fear of relatiation (especially in the case of abuse of children, as they would need permission from a guardian to participate in the survey, and would be less likely to understand that responses are anonymous).
Overall the issues with crime statistics are more to do with the nature of continuous crimes, rather than reporting to police, as its known people dont report all crimes to the police, so statisticians work around that.
dickybeau01@reddit
In Scotland, crime has been dropping for years (with minor blips). Annunciata Rees Mogg of the execrable Reform has just been found out for lying about immigrant crime. There’s a lot of information turds out there and it’s really best to rely on the most recent government information available from credible resources that carry a standard. I heard that 78% of statistics on immigration are made up on the spot. Or maybe it’s 57%?/s
johnny_briggs@reddit
The US far right is pushing this agenda hard because their own country looks abysmal when actually measured against any metric that matters across most European nations. The problem is the internet and now they can properly see the American dream is a load of old codswallop and they've been lied to their whole lives. UK hit harder because of the language and shared culture.
Watch some vids from Americans that have moved here to live. They all have similar themes. Not many of them want to go back.
Electric-aura3000@reddit
I've lived in the UK all my life and I've had no problems
EitherChannel4874@reddit
It's rubbish.
People do get stabbed but the vast majority of the time it's over drugs or gang stuff. Not the average person just randomly being stabbed.
We have crime like any major city does. It happens but it's not out of control.
There's definitely no sharia law or no go zones set up by Muslims. That is all absolute lies by racist arseholes with an agenda.
My 65 year old mum feels safe walking around and I've not had any issues since I was a teenager.
capulet2kx@reddit
There is a particular group who - don’t integrate with society - cover their faces with masks - don’t obey our laws - intimidate people
I’m talking, of course, about the illegal e-bike rat boy street gimps, running amok around our cities and towns. The people lamenting immigration are mysteriously silent about the gimps, which reveals it was never about integration or face coverings, it was racism all along.
Wild_Ask9773@reddit
It’s worse!
Individual_Row_4553@reddit
You gotta stop listening to nonsense on 4chan AKA FoxNews
No-Ask2117@reddit
Cities are cities the world over, they have crime, the further out of cities you go it’s usually better but any town can have the odd wrongun
Dazz316@reddit
Nothing is as bad as online makes it seem.
MichaelWhitehead@reddit
I am here in the middle of it. It is worse than is even reported.
Fingers_9@reddit
Where do you live?
MichaelWhitehead@reddit
Luton. It is very aggresive and clashes here. Not all get reported.
ClevelandWomble@reddit
Given that the reports being discussed suggest that you are likely to be stabbed twice just waiting for a bus, that sounds unlikely.
Lesiu04@reddit (OP)
What do you mean?
MichaelWhitehead@reddit
Exactly that.
Sirlacker@reddit
Crime isn't rising because of immigration or anything. You put people in deprived areas, crime with thrive regardless of whether they were born here or moved here. And that's the situation we are facing. More and more areas are becoming more and more deprived because the areas that are even remotely half decent are becoming completely unnafordable to live in for lots of people.
And it's crime is just like anywhere else, you go to the rough areas, you'll witness more crime. Go to the nicer areas you get less.
Violent crime has almost halved since 2005.
Knife and gun crime has dropped by 20% over 20yrs.
Burglary has dropped by almost 66% since the early 2000s.
Overall we are doing a lot better.
Shoplifting however has spiked. But honestly, that's because the economy is fucked more than anything else. If stuff was affordable this would drop.
Sexual offences have risen but that's mainly due to better victim reporting practices.
The UK is a lot safer than the media let's on.
Most stabbings are gang on gang violence. Not many people are getting randomly stabbed. It's delinquents stabbing other delinquents mostly.
Miserable-Rub-4053@reddit
It’s not perfect but it’s nothing like as bad as some sections of the media seem to make out. At least not where I live anyway.
Used-Flamingo-4320@reddit
It’s both exaggerated and underplayed.
Welcome to 2026.
Electrical_Wish_8530@reddit
It's worse
Opening_Dentist_1128@reddit
I guess the litmus test is, did the day-to-day chance of being a victim of crime go up? I would say it has gone down, given that we are increasingly cashless, and vehicles and homes are more secure. I also think crooks are more wary in general.
gc4170@reddit
I haven't personally witnessed anything for years. Unlike the 1980s where I saw full on fights almost every weekend when I went out....
publiusnaso@reddit
It’s bollocks. London is safer than it’s ever been. I work there. Yes, you have to keep your wits about you like you do in any big city. I’ve never been a victim of street crime in over 35 years of working and living in London. (Someon did walk into our office once, many years ago, and steal a printer of mine, but that’s because my employer left the door open and unguarded.
McFizzleKicks@reddit
Saw an interesting stat that showed people outside of London consider it to be pretty dangerous, whilst those that live there do not.
Most crime is falling although thefts from a person is rising (and massively exaggerated online).
DustTechnical4561@reddit
I didn't leave because of the crime (though I was victim of theft and extortion - several £10,000s - just before I left, and the police did not much about it), I left because my area had been developed to the point where it was no longer recognisable and I wanted a change.
apeliott@reddit
I live in a bigger city outside the UK and have never needed to "keep my wits about me" like I did in the UK on a Saturday night.
SnooStrawberries2342@reddit
Where is this peaceful utopia of 9 million+ people that you speak of?
Shoddy-Reply-7217@reddit
It's all exaggerated political propaganda.
You'd have to be very unlucky anywhere in the UK to be the victim of an unprovoked attack.
Most people, most of the time, do not experience crime in their everyday lives.
SpecialistAd7120@reddit
More stabbing in new york than london but new york has guns too. My small town is very safe but i really cant comment on the average city dweller
TheSecretIsMarmite@reddit
It's right wing propaganda pushing an anti-immigration agenda. Some areas of the UK feel less safe than others, yes, but I'd argue that every country in the world has something similar. Your impression of New Zealand is probably hobbits and peaceful and the occasional earthquake but before I went on holiday there all I heard about was biker gangs and biker towns and how dangerous it was - that was not my impression when I visited at all and the only dangerous thing was the occasional tourist trying to drive on the wrong side of the road.
NationalReputation85@reddit
Anti-social crime and behaviour by youths is the biggest issue in my part of Scotland. I think serious crime has been in decline for a number of years.
The problem with youth crime is they are untouchable to a certain degree.
Ryan_Food_UK@reddit
I'm born and raised UK and been to multiple parts and other countries.
UK is still one of the safest places in the world.
Zaphod-Beebebrox@reddit
I would suggest go beyond the media and get all sides to see where the merits are....
VOODOO285@reddit
Being a tall shaven headed guy, my experience will be different than women or smaller gents.
But when walking about Manchester it’s rare I see anything but people going on about their day. Picadilly Gardens is a rough spot to be fair but I tend not to go there. As I say it’s just people milling about doing day to day activities with little to nothing negative.
Randomfinn@reddit
I’ve travelled extensively, especially Canada and the United States. I’ve been spending a lot of time in Manchester City Centre the past few years. It kills me when people in the UK talk about a “rough area”. Picadilly is fine. You just get all sorts there. Some of the inner cities of the US though? I’m thinking of my experiences in Downtown Detroit, Slums of Washington DC in the 80s crack epidemic, and pretty much all of Memphis …. oooph, THAT is rough. The places with open carry laws in the US are scary - nothing like walking into a Public Library Children’s area and seeing grown ass men fondling their guns while staring at people they felt “didn’t belong”.
VOODOO285@reddit
Yes and it’s an askbrits sub. I told you what I’ve seen and qualified it as a rough spot. I didn’t say it was dangerous or you’re massively at risk but I would still avoid it. The sheer volume of videos coming out of that area where there’s feral kids and fights is actually shocking. There’s something new all but daily where the rest of Manchester seems to simply be typical demographics of drunk people getting rowdy once a week.
I’m not comparing Picadilly gardens to America in any way shape or form. No gun fondling, no fentanyl epidemic. But by comparison to almost everywhere else. It is demonstrably a bit rough. That is all.
New_Serve_7309@reddit
I notice less now than I did as a child in the 90’s and the stats back it up. Yes there is crime as there has and always will be but it most definitely not like that. My nearest city is Bristol. Feel safe pretty much all the time other than seeing the occasional drunken issue in the city centre or addiction related things. Definitely safer than it was twenty years ago or so.
Icy_Meringue_5534@reddit
Have a look at a few of this YouTuber's shorts.
https://youtube.com/shorts/SE-C7rsMQuE?si=0UFUKchA7ufifjeY
There's a lot of AI nonsense out there. And a lot of right leaning scaremongering.
A_Przepiura@reddit
I'm Polish, moved to UK over 12 years ago. Generally it's as people already said, it's loads of exaggerated bs and paid propaganda. Really pissing me off how popular topic it become in Poland and how some of my mates who're living there and visited UK maybe once or twice fell for it and trying to argue with me that they know better what's an actual situation here.
Lesiu04@reddit (OP)
Well, maybe it's also because some of the things you say are normal,for us Poles living here are unthinkable?
obliviousfoxy@reddit
why are you arguing with everyone answering you when you don’t even live herw lmao
Lesiu04@reddit (OP)
Dude, I literally don't argue with practically anyone, I thanked most of you for your replies and I appreciate it. This is the only comment I responded to. That's all :)
A_Przepiura@reddit
Wait, what "some things" are you talking about? I literally didn't give any examples or say something is normal or not xD
I_will_never_reply@reddit
Before Brexit, this is what people were saying about Poles coming over here. It wasn't true then and isn't true now BUT it IS noticeable and many don't like that. The enemy, as always, are the class with all the money controlling everything
Apsalar28@reddit
I live near what's meant to be one of the most dangerous streets in the UK and am constantly told I am risking my life walking past a local hotel where a lot of asylum seekers are being housed.
There is a lot of petty theft and shoplifting and you'd be very unlikely to still have a bike if you left it unattended for 10 minutes but there is very little violent crime. Most of the violent crime that does happen is of the drunk men having a punch up variety or domestic violence with a side order of probably hasn't paid their drug dealer.
Southernbeekeeper@reddit
I think a lot of the crime conducted by imigrants either has no direct victim (things like drug dealing by Albanians or selling illigal tobacco products by indian shop owners) or the victims are imigrants themselves. This means that a lot of this crime isn't really seen by the wider public.
I haven't witnessed a violent crime for about 15 years (saw a guy get punched in a club when I was a studnet). I think that's probably the common thing.
Inside_Performance32@reddit
No it's just American propaganda
scarletOwilde@reddit
There is a hell of made up rubbish online, including YouTube videos that are edited to include AI.
Like any country there are rough elements, but in general the U.K. is pretty safe. Much safer than the USA, for example.
Specialeyes9000@reddit
Violent crime is at pretty low levels, especially in London where it's potentially the safest it's ever been in terms of murders, for example. Immigration - depends where you live as to whether you'd even notice. I'm not saying there isn't a problem, but a lot of the areas the most worried about it actually don't have many immigrants.
SalParadise100@reddit
Certifiable bollocks
coffeewalnut08@reddit
It is exaggerated, malicious propaganda. Here are some statistics:
- Homicides in England and Wales fall to lowest level since records began
- Net migration falls 78% in two years returning to pre-Brexit levels
- Knife killings down by 21%, figures show
- Knife robberies down by more than a fifth.
TheeHappyDude@reddit
Nope it's absolute bullshit
Fine-State8014@reddit
There's a lot of disinformation being spread online. The UK is much safer than some people would like it to be.
andyff@reddit
These days, if you say you're English, you get arrested and thrown in jail, don't you?
andyff@reddit
Don't be downvoting me, dickheads, here is the reference.
sgch@reddit
Don't complain about being downvoted when you do not sound like you're referencing something lol
andyff@reddit
Haha fair
Whulad@reddit
I can only speak for London but the stuff on line is 90% bullshit. It’s far safer, cleaner, less derelict and with better public transport than when i was younger.
True_Adventures@reddit
Asking people for their experiences is the wrong question.
Just do some research about the actual stats. Yes, they will always have more or less biases or limitations, but it's very well established via research that people vastly over or underestimate the national prevalence/scale of these kinds of issues based on what is inevitably very localised, subjective personal experience.
sgch@reddit
We live in an incredibly safe country. The times where I have felt the least safe have been when I've been out of my comfort zone around drunk and angry white British men.
New_Line4049@reddit
Most of the talk of violent crime is exaggerated, but it is true theres generally a diminishing respect for the law and central authority. Not in any big, obvious way, but in the small stuff. More low value shoplifting, more minor traffic infractions, etc etc, basically just because there isnt much enforcement. Police resources keep getting cut further and further, so people realise they can get away with minor stuff and start taking the piss.
Lesiu04@reddit (OP)
I saw a video from the UK where basic food products in stores have a special buckle with an alarm. This is probably not normal. Is this also propaganda?
New_Line4049@reddit
No, its common to have those on commonly shop lifted items. Won't be in every store, just those that suffer particularly bad shop lifting.
AnnieByniaeth@reddit
I've never seen this. If it was presented as normal, it's propaganda.
Not saying it doesn't happen. If you count a bottle of whisky as basic food, then I guess it does.
Royston-Vasey123@reddit
To be fair, at some supermarkets I have seen meat (more expensive cuts like steak) in those plastic locked boxes. I live in Bristol for reference.
At my local Co Op they have taken coffee, washing pods etc. off the shelves and you have to request them behind the counter - I think because of shoplifting. So I guess maybe it's things like that the OP has seen?
No-Snow-9605@reddit
I don't know what you have read, but it's probably worse.
Lesiu04@reddit (OP)
Most people write that it's not that bad. Give me an argument why it's worse?
No-Snow-9605@reddit
NO. Last time I did that Mods deleted.
25yearsachump@reddit
No, it's not exaggerated. My daughter has lived in London for over 3 years and in that short time she has been verbally abused, physically assaulted, sexually assaulted and stalked, all by immigrant males. She has had her phone stolen in London by an immigrant (hotel staff witnessed them dump her phone in the street because it already had a cracked screen). Locally to me there is a hotel housing mostly male immigrants and they have been hassling/stalking school girls walking home. A local Co-op is losing tens of thousands of pounds a year due to shoplifting - and many of perps are immigrant women (the ones with the voluminous skirts). Oh, and nevermind the Vape shops, kebab shops and barbers which have, only recently, sprung up in town and which I have personally observed immigrant men hanging around outside bothering local school children. I could go on, but I'm sure you've got the message. Don't believe other commenters who say that the UK doesn't have a problem with immigrants.
Nerissa23@reddit
A particular political party is stirring things up over immigration just as the nazis stirred people about the jews. In 2016 the same people were stirring up people about polish and other eastern european immigrants!
Good_Lettuce_2690@reddit
All in the pockets of the billionaires who are actually making life harder for working class people. No immigrant ever put up my energy bill.
Large-Butterfly4262@reddit
Boris Johnson did.
Vivid_Employment8635@reddit
No, it’s not as bad as it seems. Things are hard economically right now, and as a result crime and general social problems have increased, yes, but it’s still very safe. Things do happen and like any country some areas are worse than others, but it’s still generally the case that if you don’t look for trouble you won’t find it.
As for the immigration side: there are certain British political parties and a large part of the British media that has an interest in blaming all our problems on immigrants, particularly Muslim ones. This isn’t helped by social media algorithms, so there are now quite a lot of British people who now actually believe it. All I’ll say though is that I am white British, I live in a not-particularly-wealthy part of London with lots of African immigrants, a lot of my coworkers are Muslim, and I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve felt remotely unsafe in almost 6 years here.
decentlyfair@reddit
I am studying Crime and Justice Masters at the moment and a lot of what you read is skewed against certain populations, racial discrimination is rife within the criminal justice system. Won’t go into it further as I could go on forever. Let’s just say that my studies have opened my eyes.
Toc13s@reddit
Hugely exaggerated for political gain
Good_Lettuce_2690@reddit
I live in a capital city and in an area where at least half of my neighbours are immigrants. I have never had a problem with them. The only people causing crime around here are homegrown neds who've never worked a day in their lives other than robbing and drug dealing. The people yelling about immigrants the loudest live in places they never encounter them, people fear what they have no experience of.
lucylucylane@reddit
We just had the lowest homocide rate in 50 years and have a lower murder rate than Canada Finland and Japan so it's not bad at all
andyff@reddit
homocide? lol
wakou2@reddit
For more nuanced answers, it might be fun to ask members of the Polish community in the UK, I am sure there are Reddit subs and Facebook groups... Or even ask on a truck-driver's forum, in Polish! (I am a truck-driver, many of my colleagues are from Poland). I live in a small and relatively prosperous city 50km from London. I do not worry about the issues you suggest. I have never been burgled, assaulted, mugged or robbed. I have had two bicycles stolen! In London some youths have adopted the style of wearing balaclava/ski-masks etc. Which feels a bit threatening. And pick-pocketing and phone-theft are an issue, but always have been, and I am sure also happen in Warsaw and Krakow... ps you write in English beautifully, and put many of British "native" people to shame!
IAmLaureline@reddit
It's massively exaggerated by people with a divisive right wing agenda. Violent crime in London is down and it safer than most big US cities. There is a problem with the theft of mobile phones, specifically in London. Across the whole country shoplifting has increased a lot in recent years.
You should always keep an eye on your personal possessions as opportunistic crime remains. It's not a problem if you are careful (bar the phones in London thing). I'm sixty and I've been the victim of one attempted bag theft in London (foiled) and had my pocket picked at the Glastonbury Festival in Somerset once. Oh, and some sexual violence as I'm female but that's not a Britain thing ...
Serious criminals have moved into online fraud to make their living.
London is not under Sharia law. It has a Muslim mayor who has won the popular vote clearly three times. This upsets some narrow minded bigots who can't cope with the fact that a British muslim man can successfully lead a big city.
Unusual-Art2288@reddit
Well if you listen to Reform you cant walk in in any Mayor UK cities without being robbed by gangs of immigrants.
Which-Host-9073@reddit
It's right wing anti-immigrant fear mongering garbage pushed out by ghastly types at home and also far right types overseas not to mention Russian bots. Truth is recorded crime in the UK, especially violent crime and homicides, has been falling year on year for many years and is now at lowest since current records began. The current main problem seems to be around shoplifting which has gone up a lot since COVID. And knife crime is certainly an issue. But the overall trend is down. And unlike, say, the US we don't fear being massacred by weirdos with automatic weapons and sending our kids to school with bullet proof backpacks fearing they may get slaughtered as they learn.
DarkAngelAz@reddit
Due to changes in the reporting pretty much the only crime stat you can use to compare is murder rate
Uncle_Zardoz@reddit
It's abject bullshit. I live in a poor area in a city in the Midlands and the moaningand shit-taling is wy out of proportion to the actual crime and problems. A lot of it is politically motivated online hot air and/or middle-aged whingemaxxers getting their Victor Meldrew on.
strongfavourite@reddit
fun fact - overall crime (including violence) is actually at, or near, all time record lows
DarkAngelAz@reddit
No it’s not anywhere near as bad.
Peskycat42@reddit
Not sure I (60F) have ever felt unsafe in the UK.
Nothing has changed for me other than what seems like a deliberate attempt to fearmonger and exaggerate crime by certain right wing media protagonists. I have seen this have the desired impact on one if my older friends in particular and it successfully influenced her voting at the latest election.
If only people would open their eyes, look around them and realise that we are lucky we live in a relatively safe age.
DataPaws@reddit
It's exxagereted. I believe it might be worse in the areas where 'the hotels' are, but where I live, maybe half of the town is English, and the rest of us are migrant (mostly polish, lithuanian, romanian, asians (z 'ciapackich krajów')). Yes, you can see it's different than it was 10 years ago, some neighbours can be difficult (partially because of the cultural differences, sometimes they are just difficult to deal with), but I don't see 'the country collapsing'. What is the biggest downgrade in comparison with the past, is the prices. Everything is more expensive, companies are being greedy and our paychecks didn't rise as much as the prices. Imo, that's the biggest problem for us today.
whatsgoingon350@reddit
I feel safe we have the odd drunk and dickhead around town apart from that not much going on.
If you look at statistics crime has gone down all over the UK.
jlangue@reddit
British made crime only, please.
matherto@reddit
Exaggerating and propagandising is all the media know how to do
thescouselander@reddit
Yes and no. There are a lot of videos on YouTube etc that shows the very worst of places to get the clicks. Often if you go to these places the experience can be very different to and a lot better than being made out in these videos.
That said, the bad stories don't come from nowhere and there are issues that do appear to be getting worse. Overall I'd say they're exaggerated on social media though.
Gc1981@reddit
I was in Blackpool last year and a lot of the locals were unhappy with immigration. There were groups of african men hanging around street corners after dark asking people for cigarettes etc. While I never actually so them doing anything wrong, I would imagine people would be quite intimidated. If you run out of sugar and are reluctant to nip round the shop so you can have your morning coffee you might feel a little resentful.
ProfPMJ-123@reddit
No, it’s not. Everything online is grossly overblown.
I don’t doubt there is crime in the U.K., but by international standards it’s trivial, and in a lot of places it’s non-existent.
blackleydynamo@reddit
It's mostly bollocks.
Crime happens here, of course it does. And there are some areas which have seen concerning rises e.g. shoplifting, but some of that is due to the cost of living problems that the whole of Europe faces.
Violent crime overall is pretty much as low as it's ever been, and London (probably the worst city for crime overall if not per capita) is orders of magnitude safer than virtually every major US city. Much of the "crime wave" narrative is anti-immigrant rhetoric.
Overall the UK is one of the world's safest countries - although some people refuse (or don't want) to believe that. Which is one reason why major spikes in crime, when they happen, are newsworthy.
Nerissa23@reddit
A particular political party is stirring things up over immigration just as the nazis stirred people about the jews
MichaelWhitehead@reddit
Yes, and Kier Stamer and Labour need to go.
C2H5OHNightSwimming@reddit
It's being funded by a bunch of people who have an interest in making themselves wealthier through sowing division. If crime right now is up, it'll be because nobody has any money, after we tanked our economy with austerity, then Brexit, that we fucking voted for (tbf, austerity not so much "voted for", DCs Tories would have been a minority govt if the Lib Dems hadn't turned into snakes and fucked us all).
What is up is homelessness and poverty. I've never seen so many people living in tents, all over London. It's like the fucking 80s again.
Kickkickkarl@reddit
There is a lot of fake videos doing the rounds on social media making out the UK is being overrun by immigrants and it's at breaking point. Truth is it might depend upon where you are in the UK and it could feel the place is being overrun by non indigenous people but truth be told what I hear now is exactly the same retreat from when eastern European countries joined EU and lots of Eastern Europeans came here. At first they wasn't entirely welcomed by the usual folks so it's no different now then it has been in the pass.
nogardleirie@reddit
I moved here decades ago. Lived in London the whole time. I feel safer now than when I first moved here. It's total exaggerated crap.
dirty_papercut@reddit
It's absolutely fine.
Adventurous_Way_2660@reddit
Totally exaggerated. People try to run countries down because they want to get votes from angry people who cant understand risk or statistical probability.
One-Gas-3132@reddit
Total nonsense. Its super chill here. Almost everyone is super friendly. If anything, if you see an immigrant they will be the most friendly. I've had zero bad interactions.
Funk5oulBrother@reddit
In a country where witnessing extreme and violent crime is exceedingly rare, any instance is highly televised and reported.
This would make us seem a dangerous country, but we're not.
There is a large wave of anti-UK sentiment online currently, driven by both Russia and America which are clearly both bastions of hope and serenity.
Country's been collapsing since the Industrial Age.
I could not tell you the last time i felt afraid anywhere in the UK, and I go to some sketchy areas in London for work, and I live in the rural countryside.
Orangesteel@reddit
Most of this is far right propaganda from paid accounts. The UK recorded the lowest number of violent deaths last year since records began. I believe statistically Poland is safer and there has been a rise in violent crime in the UK. I lived and worked in London and felt safe, as I do in my home town or any other I visit. (For context only, you are 5-6 times more likely to be murdered in the US).
Lesiu04@reddit (OP)
Thank you for your answer
I_ALWAYS_UPVOTE_CATS@reddit
Shoplifting is on the rise, and phone theft is a problem. But, find me a major city around the world where it isn't a good idea to guard your possessions.
Immigration levels could be considered too high depending on who you ask, but the idea that immigration is the driving force behind a reduction in public safety is just a far-right talking point.
Some people do feel downtrodden, but remember that social media amplifies these voices while ignoring the 'normal' ones. The videos that paint the UK as a lawless hellscape run by Sharia law are propagandist nonsense.
ProfessionalTap2400@reddit
From google AI overview, on London: ‘While violent crimes have steadily declined to record lows, the city sees a high volume of theft and property offenses’
I’ve seen this reported a few times: that crime rates are actually quite low historically, that London was actually so much worse in the 90s.
I personally don’t see much value in summarising the situation was historical comparisons. Society changes. The nature of crimes might change, the targets might change, etc. You need to dig deeper than this.
bellathebeaut@reddit
Wildly exaggerated. Of course there's crime, like there is everywhere, but I feel perfectly safe in most places and at most times.
Traditional_Rice_123@reddit
Where I live - Bedfordshire mid-way between two big towns with diverse populations (which I only mention because of the mention of immigration in the OP) - I don't see the kind of things the right-wing news media wants to portray. The crime that exists is mostly committed by teenagers. The high street has its fair share of betting and charity shops, but also has great independent cafes and quirky shops. Great parks - never feel unsafe out and about and neither does my partner.
havaska@reddit
It’s massively exaggerated political propaganda that you see online.
FlowerpotPetalface@reddit
I'd say it's definitely exaggerated.
qualityvote2@reddit
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