As per a previous post I wrote http://themelican.blogspot.com/2017/07/constant-concerns.html it’s not the first time crime and personal safety has been a concern for me.
My other half still thinks I worry too much and I’ve got worse since giving up work and becoming a stay at home Mum.
Granted, I don’t commute in to London anymore and I’m not out at night socialising and drinking.
I do view news via watching the TV or reading online and there seems to be nothing but negativity nowadays - what with Brexit, knife crime, terrorism, moped crime and the like, media is never short of a doom and gloom story.
Neither is is short of people being offended and people being scared to say what they truly think at the risk of being accused of being offensive.
However, it is social media where the up to date and as it happens updates come from and it is overflowing with crime now.
None moreso than local Facebook groups and Twitter.
In fact it’s social media that my fiancé feels is fuelling my fears and at times obsession with the various issues we now face.
I’ve always felt safe where I live and grew up and certain incidents would never happen here and always be the sort you’d hear taking place elsewhere and in ‘rough’ parts of London. Be that fights, theft, stabbings and so on.
Now? Every day there are tales of stabbings, muggings, car theft and burglaries.
To me it feels like crime is rife and my local town is being filled with crime and low life scum who want to harm and steal from the locals. The general consensus is typically people are travelling from other areas to come and do no good here.
What I really don’t know though is whether things really are as bad as they appear - schoolkids getting mugged in broad daylight, stabbings, burglaries, cars being stolen, assaulting innocent people...
And is it any worse where we live or not? I can’t help but feel the area is getting worse and just pray it gets better by the time my children are old enough to be out and about alone.
Belonging to some social media groups helps give an insight into what’s going on so we can be more aware and alert and take extra precautions with our homes or when out.
But do they?
Are these groups giving a true picture of what’s going on and revealing the reality of life now?
Or is it a case of scaremongering?
Is life really so bad now? Or are people getting paranoid and listing every little event and person they see who MIGHT be causing issues. Are people simply sharing more and it’s more accessible to us than ever before so it seems more prevalent?
One things for sure, if our streets really have got that bad something needs to be done and fast. Control has gone, respect for others and the value of life has disappeared. But why?
We know police numbers and funding are drastically cut and everyone is very clear the mess they feel the government has made.
But why have our younger generations and so many of the English population started to feel its normal to carry a knife and use it? It’s okay to just mug a stranger to take what they’ve earnt or been given and treasure from family? Just enter somebody’s home or take their vehicle, snatch away things they’ve worked hard for and in the process cause mental and even physical scarring to any number of people?
I’m genuinely intrigued to know why and if people think things are as bad as it seems.
And also whether I’ve turned into some sort of stereotypical neighbourhood watch older person twitching their curtains and nervous about stepping outside at times!
What’s really going on?
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