iam alarmed with so much crime in england and dead scared to go out by 7.00?

Question

what legal protections are allowed to be carried in order to defend yourself incase of any attack. i have never read so much bad news in mylife. now that i live in england i doubt if i will make it to 23.

Answer 1

Good grief. Where do you live? Must be somewhere really ghastly. Poor old you.

Answer 2

If you think England is bad, then you should never go to South Africa. I have been mugged five times in the centre of Cape Town and also seriously assaulted and mugged in a car park there. If you go into a police station they just take your statement, give you a copy so that you can claim on your insurance and then throw everything into file 13 - they only go through the motions of looking for the assailant if you are hospitalised. Coming home to live in England again was the best thing I could have done and never feel unsafe here. Compared to some other countries, England is a safe haven, which is probably why we get so many immigrants from war torn countries.

Answer 3

You are not allowed to carry anything that is classed as a 'weapon' (and almost anything could fall into this category if it were seen that it was an object that you would not normally carry or need in your job) to protect yourself. However I believe that if for example you are a woman and you had a small can of hairspray you could use that without it necessary being regarded as a weapon that you only carried only for the purpose of protecting yourself. The same goes for men - anything that you would be legitimately carrying with you for the purpose of your job, that you were on your way to, you could use, but remember you must only use what they call 'neccessary force'. Any kind of item used could leave you open to prosecution in the courts!

So just be yourself and don't carry anything on purpose - a mobile phone is quite robust, as are a set of keys - which we all carry. If you have your wits about you a swift jab with a key in the right area could give you precious time to run. Barring that keep away from areas that you know have bad reputations and be safe!

Answer 4

Unless your place is protected with 24 hr state-of-the-art alarm system, video surveillance and armed guards, you're not safe even at home. So you might as well take a chance and go out. You could take certain precautions (avoid high-crime rate neighborhoods, carry only a small amount of cash on you, look out for suspicious strangers, i.e., if you see two men walking down the street who split directions without apparent reason, in which case it would be safe to go inside the nearest public place, or knock on a house door, ANY DOOR, walk with apparent confidence, since muggers prey for insecure victims, lock the doors while driving through a lone street, and staying alert for approaching strangers while making a stop). But otherwise, crime-rates shouldn't be a deterrent for you to enjoy city life and live a somewhat normal life.

Answer 5

It really depends where you live. Then again, there were all those murders in Suffolk recently, which is meant to be a very safe region.

Don't let the criminals beat you, by cowering inside and getting agrophobic. There seems to be plenty of crime nowadays, because people are getting better at reporting incidents to the police. I'm 24, and I'm still alive! (touch wood =P)

Plenty of precautions you can take. Don't go out at night on your own, especially if you're a girl / woman. Mostly common sense things. I usually don't walk down dark alleys, or through deserted areas. That's nothing new...

You can't carry any weapons, I'm afraid. No knives, guns or even mace. If you use a knife on someone, thats called assault, even if its in self-defense... omg the justice system is screwed up with the whole "criminal's rights" issue - in my opinion, if you're a criminal, you don't DESERVE any rights!

You can always carry a panic alarm. Many women carry them. Get the best one, you want one with a very bright flashing light, and an ear-piercing alarm. Shove it in your agressor's face, and he/she'll be pretty shocked.

Answer 6

You say that you've never read so much bad news... remember that newspapers sell their products by being sensational. They only print stuff which sells papers. There are far too many people who are scared by the stories they read but you need to put the crimes in proportion.

As others have said, it does depend on where you go in England - if you choose to walk alone in a city centre late in the evening then you may be more at risk than in other places; young men are more at risk than others. However, crimes of violence are RELATIVELY low. Put things in perspective and take sensible precautions if necessary, keeping away from known trouble-spots. Some people (particularly young men) go out for the reasons of getting drunk and getting into a fight - steer clear of them!

You can find crime statistics in relation to region on-line; if you consider under-reporting, you'll still find that the majority of places in England are safe.

Answer 7

There r crimes all over the world, there is no parameter where u can say there is no crime, So prevention is better than cure, If u have option remain at home most times and do the necessary out side works well in broad day light, Also try to go in groups with friends/colleagues, Keep Ur cellphone with u in case of any emergency.
The right thing is to enjoy life, and does not be scared of these things.

Answer 8

I don't know which England you live in, Pocahontas, but 'my' England - in which I've managed to survive for over 60 years without any confrontations whatsoever - is still a relatively safe place. So I think you stand a good chance of getting past 23! Just adopt sensible precautions when you go out - just as I still do when in big American or European cities with which I'm not familiar. If it helps to put things in perspective, the latest annual figure for shooting deaths in the UK is 77. Now compare that to the thousands who are shot dead every year in the USA, or in S Africa or in certain former Iron Curtain countries. Not so bad now, is it?!

Answer 9

You only have the right to self defence in this country. And this means physical self defence. You are not allowed to carry weaponry of any kind; knives etc or CS spray. It would be REALLY stupid to do so anyway because in most instances the victim trying to defend themselves with what they thought would protect them, becomes the victim who then gets themselves stabbed or shot.
I think if you act like a victim you become a victim though. IF a mugger sees two people walking down the street, one looking confident and the other scurrying along looking scared, who do you think they would mug?

Answer 10

First, do not carry any weapons[knives etc] as you face a heavy fine or jail. Carrying them for protection is no defence. You could enrol in a self defence course usually held at your local council sports centre or college.
Second, peoples perception of crime is many times worse than the reality. This perception is fuelled by the media, with most of the newspapers[Daily Mail etc] the worst culprits.
Good luck

Answer 11

Hehe I know how you feel. I've been in quite a few physical encounters in Manchester City Center, and two times they have been 3 against 1. Once with 3 big drunkos, and second time against some Moss-siders who wanted my wallet. In my opinion, when its more than 1v1 and you're being attacked hard, its law of the jungle on the force you use in how you react. However the law of the land might say different.