'We always cover our drinks on London nights out and as young women we fear men preying on us'
London, a multicultural, diverse city for all to enjoy, with an array of nightlife options. From high-end bars to upbeat clubs. But are times changing, just how safe do young people feel on a night out compared to previous generations?
We spoke to 50 young people in London, specifically those between the ages of 18 and 25 to uncover their experiences on nights out and how safe they feel. While 56 per cent said they do generally feel safe, 22 per cent said they don't and the other 22 per cent said they don't always feel safe. A common pattern we found from speaking to young women was that they do not feel safe unless they are with friends or out as part of a group, due to concerns over using public transport and of feeling vulnerable to being preyed upon by men.
Alice, 21 from Tower Hamlets said: “I feel like a lot of people target vulnerable looking girls, and once you’re alone then men do start to approach you.” Priya Morar, 21, from Stratford also agreed with this saying as a young woman she has concerns about being "easier for someone to target”.
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Tahira Ali, 23 from East London said: “I don’t necessarily feel safe [when I'm on a night out], I feel safe enough especially with a group, I am quite aware and used to the night culture.” When we spoke to Shannon Miller, 25 from Greenwich, she gave a very similar viewpoint to Tahira. She said she mainly feels safe when she’s “usually with a big group of people”.
Natasha Boateng, 21 from Enfield said: “[When out] in Central London I feel more comfortable especially if I’m with friends.” Young men we spoke to also shared their awareness of how young women can feel unsafe. Josh Whorms, 23 from Croydon said: “When I go out with a group of girls, I feel kind of responsible for their safety.”
Travelling on a night out causes concern
Many of the people we spoke to said safety at bars or nightclubs isn't always the primary concern, compared to how they feel travelling to and from places and getting home. Both Natasha and Shannon similarly spoke about how going home alone was what caused some anxiety and Alice mentioned that “getting to places is where I feel worried”.
Sadia Ahmed, 21 from Bermondsey said when she is travelling and it doesn’t feel safe she “will call a friend” until she gets home and give her “location to trusted people”. This reinforces how friends still provided that source of comfort when alone and travelling to and from places. Location was another significant aspect to note as many of the young men we spoke to agreed on this, explaining where they were determined how safe they felt on a night out and how this enforces them to be more alert to their surroundings.
Taylor Walker, 23 from London said: "When I don’t feel safe I make sure I have my wits about me, looking around constantly, not walking in dodgy areas and making sure I am always aware.” Jaheim Chatham, 21 from West London, backed up this feeling by saying: “Being aware [of your surroundings is important on a night out], if you know you’re not meant to be in a certain area, then just be alert.”
As a young woman, Precious Nalder, 21 from West London, said she feels more comfortable going on a night out in areas she already knows. She said there are parts of London where she feels safer than others, adding: "When I go out in West London I feel safe. However, going somewhere like South or East I don’t feel safe at all.”
Max Mrose, 18 from Germany who was visiting London on holiday when we spoke to him explained his immediate opinion was that Germany feels safer in comparison to London because “there’s a lot more police and cameras” on nights out. Juhi Mody, 21 from Redbridge, shared this view on safety in other major European cities, by saying she feels a lot safer going out in Madrid or Edinburgh she feels than she does in London.
Schannell Kanyora, 22 from Dalston, disagreed with location being an issue as she highlighted she “always feels safe no matter what setting, however, there might be one person that might make you uncomfortable, so I wouldn’t pinpoint it to a certain place.”
What precautions do you take to keep yourself safe on nights out?
Yasemin Uzuner, 21 from East Finchley, said: “To keep myself safe, I stay aware of my surroundings, avoid walking alone late at night… messaging my friends when I’m out, and we always ensure everyone gets home safely.” This view was shared by many young men who spoke to as well, as they commonly said they agreed with friends when was the right time to go home on a night out and to keep in touch to make sure everyone gets home.
Similarly, young women shared that they have systems of checking on their friends when on nights out in London. May, 20 from Tower Hamlets, explained the “buddy system” that her and her friends had, which was that if at any point someone from the group separates from them everyone has “each other’s locations” and to prevent this usually happening everyone has “someone with them”.
For her and her friends, Alice said: “[This includes] going to the bathroom together and if someone is going to get a drink, you are going with them." Josh said he always makes an effort to know “where the bouncers are in case something kicks off" and to have a good relationship with them to report any incidents.
Others answered the question of what precautions they take on a night out in terms of what actions they take as an individual. Juhi said she “usually travels earlier back home so the Tube is less sketchy”. Natasha listed a number of precautions she takes such as wearing trainers when out instead of heels, due to comfort but also because it helps her to know she could get away from any worrying situations easier, and she asks her dad to pick her up whenever possible.
When it comes to travel, Yana-Eden Ajigbeda, 21 from East London said she “never takes a cab past 7pm” and Rhiarna, 24 from Hayes stated that “sometimes cab drivers scare [her] and [she] gets anxious from stories”.
Joyce Silva, 21 from Leyton noted that if she is ever “approached by a guy [she] would straight away give [her] number because [she] don’t want to escalate [any approach].” She said her discomfort usually comes from men's advances and how women have to mellow a situation before it could get worse.
Many young women also talked about taking their own precautions to protect their drinks on a night out. Joyce said she “puts a hand over a drink, or a tissue” to know that nothing could be added to her drink, while Priya said she would also do this or see if “there’s something available at the bar to cover [her] drink… to make sure no one can spike it”. The fear of spiking is one shared by many, especially women on nights out.
Personal experiences and what more can be done to improve safety in London?
The majority of young people in London we spoke to shared similar views in saying that they have personal experiences of feeling unsafe and uncomfortable when on nights out in London. They believe that something should be done to help make everyone feel safer.
Leo Thompson, 21 from Tottenham said that from his experience when he's been out in nightclubs it has been common for there to be an "uneven number of boys to girls" and he is aware young women "will feel overwhelmed and unsafe as there's not enough girls around them”. To help solve this, Leo believes clubs and bars should “release the same amount of tickets for both genders so there is an equal number of people inside.”
Schannell said she can think of multiple experiences where she's been made to feel unsafe or uncomfortable. She said while out in Shoreditch “there was a group of guys who were obviously signalling to myself and my friends and we weren't interested, and then came the obvious abuse of ill-mannered offensive speech”.
Shannon said she's encountered experiences where “people get a bit too close and a bit too touchy”. She commented that it is “quite invading” and "quite daunting".
Madelaine McMorrow, 18 from Kingston, said knife crime is a worry while on nights out in London, having been threatened "at least twice" herself "purely because someone wants to rob you or sometimes just to strike fear because you didn't give them an answer that they may have wanted”. Madelaine said that this a huge comparison to in America where there is “barely any knife crime”.
She found that in America when going out, it was “less threatening” and when not in London she was made to “feel more safe”. She said that in London “typically you'll find that someone carries a knife because they want to use it violently”. She fears that knife crime in London is “out of control”.
Met Police advice on staying safe on nights out
The Met Police gives general advice online here on what people should do to keep themselves safe whilst on nights out in London. When it comes to safe nights out, the force advises: "Don’t leave drinks unattended or accept them from strangers. Be aware of strangers being over friendly in bars, clubs and large gatherings.
"They may be trying to use a ‘hugger mugger’ approach to steal from you. It’s better to stick to well lit and busy streets if possible. Check up on your friends by phone or text to make sure they got home safely and vice versa."
Police also give advice on planning your journey home, stating: "It’s a good idea to plan how you will get home by checking the time of your last train, bus or Tube back." The Met Police adds: "Only taxis, or 'black cabs', can be stopped in the street. These look like purpose built taxis with an illuminated sign on the roof.
"Minicabs must be pre booked by phone, email or in person at the minicab office. The driver should have ID and the vehicle should have a licence displayed on it. Minicabs that pick up fares on the street, without being pre booked, are illegal and uninsured and could put you at risk of sexual assault or robbery."
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