London

Health & safety

Dangers & annoyances

London’s a fairly safe city considering its size, so exercising common sense should keep you safe.

If you’re getting a cab after a night’s clubbing, make sure you go for a black cab or a licensed minicab firm. Many of the touts operating outside clubs and bars are unlicensed and can therefore be unsafe. The areas where you should try hard to avoid wandering around alone at night are King’s Cross, Dalston and Peckham, though sticking to the main roads should guarantee a certain degree of safety. A contagion of youth-on-youth knife crime is cause for concern, so walk away if you sense trouble brewing and take care at night. When travelling by tube, choose a carriage with other people in it and avoid deserted suburban stations. Pickpocketing does happen in London, so keep your handbag closed and any obvious pocket empty or buttoned up, especially in crowded areas, most particularly in the West End and within the Underground.