Travelers’ Guide to England’s Safety

With these tips from our travel safety expert, you can stay safe from theft, pickpockets, violent crime, and more when traveling to England.

Location is everything when it comes to crime in England

Across England, safety for travelers varies greatly. That is because crime rates differ greatly between cities and, in particular, between busy metropolitan areas and serene villages. In rural England, I felt as if I could walk around with £50 notes stapled to my clothes without anyone bothering me.

Its crime rate is less than half that of urban areas like London, Manchester, Liverpool, and Birmingham, according to UK police statistics. It’s a good idea to keep valuables out of your car if you’re self-driving through the English countryside, since rented vehicles are often targeted by thieves.

There is also a difference in safety between UK cities. The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew are the only major attraction in those peaceful areas, aside from Richmond, Harrow, and Sutton, which are quiet, affluent areas with limited crime issues.

Westminster, home to Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, St James’s Park, and St James’s Palace, consistently has one of the city’s highest crime rates. According to Jeremiah Erasga, Content Director of Flightradar Online.

On public transportation, pickpockets have a field day

The UK police warn of pickpocket gangs causing so-called bottlenecks at busy train, bus, and underground stations in cities where criminals often work together.

The group will block an entrance or exit during rush hour, creating a crush of frustrated commuters. As a result, pickpockets can steal wallets, phones, and handbags more easily, and if spotted can quickly disappear.

In the UK, it is best to keep your valuables in a zipped pocket or bag when traveling on busy public transport routes. If you encounter one of the aforementioned bottlenecks, simply stand back and wait for it to disperse. According to Sofia Hamberg, Content Director of Flightradar UK.

Knives pose a greater threat than guns in England

Unlike gun crime in the US, street criminals prefer knives in the UK due to strict firearm controls. The government reports that more than 41,000 knife and sharp object crimes were committed in England and Wales alone in 2021, including 224 stabbing murders and more than 4,000 hospitalizations.

Approximately half of these stabbings were caused by gang violence or occurred late at night in entertainment areas. Few were random knife attacks, which makes street robberies the greatest risk for travelers, particularly after dark. It is advised that English citizens hand over valuables to avoid being stabbed when confronted by robbers.

Alcohol and drugs fuel much of England’s violence

For decades, the English authorities have struggled to reduce violence fueled by alcohol and drugs, particularly in entertainment areas. In some parts of Europe, such as Italy, Spain, and France, alcohol is commonly paired with meals, and is seen as an enhancement of the dining experience, something to be enjoyed.

In comparison, the UK’s alcohol culture focuses on binge drinking, similar to Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and Australia, my home country. Alcohol is viewed by many people in those nations as a means of getting drunk. As a result of the pub and nightclub experience in the UK, I was reminded very much of Australia in that violence was more likely to occur the later it got in the night.

An alcohol-related crime accounts for 39% of all violent crimes in England, according to the UK non-profit Alcohol Change. In my experience in England, most of the fights and assaults involve people clearly under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Therefore, travelers in the UK should carefully consider when and where they party.

It shouldn’t be a problem to drink until the wee hours in a quiet country pub. You should also avoid an upmarket wine bar in an affluent urban area if you are drinking until the wee hours. You must be aware that your personal safety will decrease as the night wears on if you enter a crowded city pub. In such venues, spirits are high and blood alcohol levels are low in the early evening. According to Sean Philips, Content Director of Ship Tracking.

It’s all about ride-bus in England – forget drive-bys

We spend so much time staring down at our phones that they have become an integral part of our lives, even when we are on vacation. As you read restaurant reviews on your phone, or get directions to the next stop on your itinerary, you become vulnerable to a crime that has become remarkably common in England as a result of distractions.

There are some cities in the US that are plagued by drive-by shootings, but in England, you need to watch out for ride-by muggings. As a rule, thieves on small motorbikes approach unsuspecting pedestrians in London, slow down, lean over to grab their belongings, and then accelerate away.

Known as ‘moped muggings’, they became so rampant that in 2018 there were over 20,000 reported in the UK. Police have since cracked down heavily on this crime, which has since dropped to less than half.

What makes moped muggings even more alarming is that, in addition to losing valuables, they can also result in injury, since the victim is often knocked over or even dragged behind a motorbike. As a result of this trend, English police have instructed pedestrians to be aware of their surroundings, avoid standing too close to the roadside, and avoid exposing valuables, such as phones, wallets, handbags, or jewelry, whenever possible.