Bridgerton star Genevieve Chenneour was simply minding her own business when she was attacked by an 18-year-old man who attempted to steal her iPhone. Terrible. And where did this happen? Kensington. Joe & the Juice. Broad daylight. You might have thought we were safe whilst sipping upmarket smoothies in the posher parts of West London – but it appears we are not.
Chenneour wasn’t wrong when she told LBC today “almost every woman feels on edge in London”. In fact, she was bang on. Nearly 60 percent of us women feel unsafe in London.
And it’s not just an irrational feeling – nor was the crime against Chenneour an isolated incident. Violence against women and girls in the capital is now endemic. London saw a 7.4 percent rise in sexual offences in the 12 months up to January 2025. Over one in four women in the city have been physically or sexually assaulted and nearly half have been followed.
Elsewhere, phone and bike theft has become so rampant that it’s begun to feel mundane, although it’s obviously a deep violation to have your essential possessions taken so casually. Unsurprisingly, many are left traumatised by muggings - just like Chenneour.
London has never been a crime-free utopia. And as women, we are trained to carry a heavy awareness of our personal safety around with us at all times. Before I embarked on my first solo commute to London at age 16 my mother, who lived and trained here as a nurse in the 1980s, gave me sage advice. Always keep my bag tucked under my arm to dissuade pickpockets, and be prepared with cutting remarks to aim at flashers on the Tube.
I’ve not seen any errant genitals waggling on public transport (yet), but I did get followed on my way home from the bus stop one dark winter evening by a man. Thankfully I spotted a police car parked on a side street and alerted the officer, which scared him off. That was a decade ago.
Over one in four women in the city say they have been physically or sexually assaulted
I have been incredibly fortunate, but it’s starting to feel like this luck could run out at any moment. The horror stories just keep piling up. An ex-girlfriend was pickpocketed as we walked through Soho on a date. My housemate had her bag snatched from under her chair while having a coffee after a long shift volunteering for a suicide hotline. An old school friend was punched from behind by a stranger as she walked down the road, knocking her unconscious and leaving her hospitalised.
Still, I’d always felt safe once I was in my own home, once I’d locked my windows and doors that is. But I recently discovered I’d been lulled into a false of security through owning a dog and harbouring a vague notion that the area was basically safe. That illusion was shattered when we came home one day to find a pile of strange rubbish by our front gate. One of my housemates recognised the name on a card amongst the debris - it was an acquaintance who lived around the corner. Turned out their house had been burgled while the family had popped out. Someone had clearly been watching them - waiting to strike.
Then there’s the really violent crime. I used to take the same approach in London as I did when I lived in Mexico. Sure, there will be shootings and stabbings. But if you’re not involved with a gang you’ll be left well alone. I scoffed when worried relatives back home said they’d heard about a murder in my area on the news.
But then a nine-year-old girl was shot in the head while she ate dinner with her family at a restaurant on Kingsland Road in Dalston. It was just around the corner from my old flat. I’d stroll up and down that road every day, eating at those restaurants, drinking at the bars. Unaware it was part of a turf war that almost killed an innocent child caught in the crossfire.
Let’s not get it twisted – I’m not moving back to the countryside any time soon, thanks. But I am feeling more and more afraid in the city I call home.
So what can be done? The police need to step up their game, particularly when it comes to dismantling existing organised crime networks. The Met have demonstrated how effective they can be at taking out the few people responsible for a vast amount of phone or bike thefts in a particular area. It’s an easy PR win for them too, when their stock with women has never been lower. Too often, people are experiencing the police as a useless port of call when it comes to taking action against criminals.
We shouldn’t lose sight of how the perpetrators are people too. These issues are complex and interlocking. Early intervention is key. The police should not be the first port of call when it comes to mental health or homelessness interventions.
I refuse to be afraid in the city I now call home when there are clear and actionable solutions. I respect the decision of those like Chenneour, who are traumatised and have announced they have been forced to leave the city for their own mental wellbeing. But for those of us determined to stay, we can hope for better. But first we must demand it.
India Block is a London Standard columnist
