VinnieK Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 The problem on the IoM is that, in Douglas especially, you cannot avoid bad areas in the centre. Pretty much the whole of it can be a get-jumped-by-pissed-up-gits-lotto on a weekend night. I've felt safer walking through rough areas of Warsaw, Berlin, Athens and Quito on a Saturday night than Strand Street and the Prom I've thought similar; The Island may (or may not given the stats) in an overall sense be less rough than other places, but the sheer fact that, excluding residential areas, Douglas consists of a handful of streets means that it's a lot harder to avoid the trouble than most other places. I remember coming back to the Island during one spring break and seeing the first fight I'd witnessed in ages (since I left in fact) - down the alley next to Quids Inn at 8:30 pm on a Wednesday (Genuine acts of kindness and inherent goodness were conspicuous by their absence). That's not to say the Island's a bad place, at all! But it's not so great that any critical opinions must be inspired by some kind of envy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grant Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 On the whole, the general attitude of persons on this Island, are far preferable to the general attitude of persons in the UK. Having travelled extensively in the UK, this is my conclusion. I don't actually think it's a close contest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinnieK Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 Where assault is concerned, the Island's crime rate is about 6.42 incidents per 1,000 people (taken from the chief constable's report 2002), whereas in the UK it's about 7.46. Ahh, statistitics and data. They're the best we have to go on, otherwise we're just going to be pointlessly swapping anecdotes until exhaustion sets in. To be honest, my post was intended more to counter the view that the Island is so much safer and civilized than the UK than the opinion that it's more dangerous. Having said that, the trouble with anecdotal evidence is that it only really serves to illustrate "apparent" danger, which can fluctuate with the living habits and routines of the person in question. Take the example you give of Clapham - ever since the 90's there's been a world of difference between the Clapham experiences of ordinary Londoners and those inhabiting the parts of Clapham populated by young graduates working in the City. Similarly, whereabouts in Moss Side were you, where did you spend most of your time socialising outside of lectures? Inhabitants of Alexandra Park Estate or the old high rises can probably boast a few hair raising stories of their own that at least match your own experiences on the Island. As has been said previously, trouble is perhaps harder to avoid on the Island due to the size of its towns than some other places, but that doesn't necessarily make it any more dangerous than those places - at best it means that the threat of attack is dispersed amongst the entire population as opposed to being concentrated amongst a particular subset due to location and/or socioeconomic status. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amadeus Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 I've felt safer walking through rough areas of Warsaw, Berlin, Athens and Quito on a Saturday night than Strand Street and the Prom Woot? Ever tried Hohenschönhausen at night? Or Neuköln at any time of the day? Scarier than Douglas Prom IMO... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Sausages Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 What's to be scared of on the prom? You're all a big bunch of wusses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pragmatopian Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 My personal crime rates: Isle of Man - approx 20 years - never knowingly a victim of crime - 0 / year London - approx 6 years - one attempted burglary, one mugging - 0.3 / year - detection rate - 100% Other UK - approx 1 year - never knowingly a victim of crime - 0 / year Prague - approx 1 year - never knowingly a victim of crime (occasional rip-offs by taxi drivers excepted) - 0 / year In the grand scheme of things the Isle of Man seems pretty safe: sure there are some scallies about and if you go out on the piss anywhere in the UK you're bound to run in to trouble occasionally cos Brits and alcohol don't go well together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost Login Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 Jersey I think do have a problem but it may be less noticeable as I think all pubs close at 11.00 in Jersey. If you want to get a drink after that you have to go to a club but I think there are only a couple at most in St Helier and they close at 2.00pm Interestingly I was in Jersey recently and they don't have the IOM problem of drunken intimidating packrats who knock about innocent promenaders (with apologies to Cret) who just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DjDan Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 The Isle of Man is nothing like the UK in terms of crime and violence! The problem we have here is generally alcohol related... but we have no way near as many "serious" offences as they have in UK. I have not once felt threatened on this island. In London, I was attacked by a 15/16 year old boy on a Bus... (he ran soon after btw.). We have the one-off murder... but generally drug/alcohol related. It's not like there are "killers" on the loose here, as they sometimes have in UK. It is of course quite easy to solve many of our crime problems on the island.... but the police do not do enough quite simply. That may not however be their fault... due to regulations, law and such like. This island has created it's crime problem.... and unfortunately, is not interested in solving it (neither are many on this board, from previous discussions). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theodolite Posted February 14, 2007 Share Posted February 14, 2007 Join the club Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcostain Posted February 14, 2007 Share Posted February 14, 2007 ....Read the UK national press and it really is frightful. All the things you don't want happening in a country are now happening. It is a depressing scene.... ....We visit the UK perhaps four time a year and it takes a few days to wind down here in the Isle of Man. Invariably when we are accross we encounter unwelcome change to the country of our birth. Some of it is really difficult to deal with - like being tracked accross the country by CCTV.... I read threads like these sometimes and can only imagine people see the UK through the eyes of the Daily Mail. Compare similar size IoM town to UK town and IoM village to IoM town and there really is very little difference. The UK has more traffic, more people, more to do (more cheapily and more accessibly) and the kids are less cocky. Of course theres more crime and different types of crime, theres a hell of a lot more people there. Everythings on a bigger scale because its a bigger place. I for one enjoy going to the UK regularly, i never feel threatened etc, but then i never do on the island either - maybe because i'm not going round expecting it so that I can look down on it and take the "I live on the Isle of Man with its (supposed) higher standard of living high ground". You'll get roudy drunks in the IoM and the UK at night. Sometimes I think we're more similar to the UK than we like to think, maybe thats what gets some peoples backs up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Tatlock Posted February 14, 2007 Author Share Posted February 14, 2007 We have the one-off murder... ...I suspect that's mainly down to the difficulty of being murdered twice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Smelly Posted February 14, 2007 Share Posted February 14, 2007 Well i have to say that yes the Isle of Man is a bit quieter than the UK but the trouble is that most people on the isle of man only see the big bad cities. I get to the UK when i can because the isle of man is just too much, i personally find the island oppressing due to the small size of the place and a few trips away tend to take the edge of it. I know myself that i find the UK a fantastic place with lots to do and most of the people i meet are very friendly. You have to realise that the population in the UK is 65 million so you are going to get trouble but living on a island tends to constrict a persons view on the world. If you go to the UK thinking you will get robbed as soon as you hit the ground you probably have lived here a bit too long. Like another poster said living in the UK you can avoid certain places and people who cause trouble but over here you cannot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gladys Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 Oh, I do hate this, mainly because my reply will be predictable, but the quality of life here far exceeds anything in the UK, IMHO. And it is not rose tinted specs, I have been back for 4 and a half years now, and would truly say that, given the whole package, the IOM is a fantastic place to live. It is not threatening in the same way that many areas in the UK are; there are very many areas in the UK that you just wouldn't dream of entering at any time of day. There are also incidents which occur in the UK that are just never reported either to the police or to the press. In fact, there are so many no-go areas that you are considered negligent for entering and, really, only have yourself to blame for going there. But here, every transgression is reported and long may that continue. It may make you think that it is a lawless place, but quite the reverse; it indicates that these things are not accepted as part of everyday life, but rightly considered as a problem which must be tackled or at least publicised. We must always be on our toes, reinforcing, all the time, that anti-social behaviour is just that and unacceptable. But we also must appreciate that our fervour for maintaining a quality of life that many envy can generate unfounded fear and become almost a self-fulfilling prophecy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gladys Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 But you have to draw a line between people you look down on and those that really threaten your wellbeing. It has always been the case that there are ne'er do wells, but do they really threaten your existence? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccsnet Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 Gosh - I feel so depressed now after reading this... In short human / western sociaty has gone the wall in the last 20-30 years.... fed up of killing other contries and been prevented from doing so we have turned in on our selves and let go of some of the major disaplinary controls of our younger generations which has now resulted in a younger more less resectfull and to some degree dangerous ( see London on the news today ) gerneration. Terran Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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