With knife crime in London currently running rampant Christie & Associates has seen an unprecedented demand for bodyguard services in London. So much so that we have never been busier in our 15 years of operations supplying London bodyguard services.
As such we thought now was a good time to publish some very practical short and sweet tips to keeping yourself safe in London if you cannot afford the services of professional bodyguards for hire in London.
1. Don’t Flash Your Cash: Whenever possible do not use outside cash machines, rather go inside a bank, and use a cash machine that is not visible to passers-by on the street. Once your cash is in your possession keep it out of sight and out of mind of London criminals and gangs.
2. Don’t Bling Your Ring: If you have expensive jewellery leave it at home or in your hotel safe. Criminals identify individuals who wear their wealth on the fingers as easy targets. Jewellery is a tempting target to thieves as it's easy to liquidate and move within the criminal underworld.
3. Don’t Be Mobile with Your Phone: When walking in London put your mobile phone in your pocket or purse. An increasingly common tactic used by London thugs is to snatch and grab your phone while you’re using it, either scrolling through social media or while pressed up against your ear talking to friends or family, and then speed off on mopeds. They can’t snatch and grab what’s in your pocket.
4. Be Aware Of Your Surroundings: When walking about in London be aware of what and who is around you. And if your gut tells you something is wrong or someone is up to something listen to your intuition and take action: cross the street, walk into the nearest shop, wave down the closest black cab, find and tell the nearest police officer or security guard. And tell whoever you are able to get to listen about your fears, and if it turns out to be nothing then nothing is gained and nothing lost.
5. Double Bag Expensive Purchases: If you've just made an exspensive purchase, such as jewellery ask the shop to place the branded bag with logo into a more discreet plain white or brown paper bag. The most luxurious shops, jewellers and department stores know this trick and should be more than willing to help you.
Luxury Watches
From our own gathered intelligence along with the amount of feedback we’re getting from our valued clients the number one luxury item being targeted at the moment in London are luxury watches. As sad as it is to say: leave your watch at home or in your hotel safe. London criminals can’t steal what you don’t have on you.
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A recent article outlining the current knife crime in London, from The Havering Daily:
London-the stabbing capital of England
Residents across Havering are waking up to the news that a man in his 40s is in a life threatening condition after being stabbed yesterday evening in Harold Hill. The saddest part is most people will not be shocked and actually not even raise an eyebrow but probably state ‘another stabbing’. It is unfortunately part of everyday life just as it seems to be the norm for teenagers to go out armed with knives as horrifying as that is.
On August 4, a 15 year old boy lost his life to knife crime in a park in Islington. Deshaun Tuitt became the youngest person to die this year in the capital. He was stabbed just before 9pm as seventy teenagers gathered
On Tuesday 16 August, 87 year old Thomas O’Halloran was fatally stabbed as he rode his mobility scooter in Greenford. A defenceless pensioner who had been raising funds for Ukrainian refugees- brutally stabbed in broad daylight. He managed to ride 75 yards on to ask a member of the public for help.
These incidents have shocked the country, a child and a pensioner have lost their life to knife crime so tragically on the streets of London. Yet where is the outrage from leaders across London? Where are their voices now?
Last year the police in London recorded 11,122 knife or sharp instrument offences, a rise from the year before. In 2021 London also recorded the highest number of teenage deaths attributed to knife or gun crime. The capital saw 30 male teenagers aged between 14- 19 years old die on our streets. Now, an 87 year old pensioner has also lost his life to knife crime.
These horrors have shocked the country, people cannot believe that children and defenceless pensioners are dying and no one is urgently addressing the knife crime issue.
Footage of youths armed with machetes is common, youths threatening to stab each other up is common, doctors treating stab wounds is endless. The list is long and goes on.
Blaming the police is of course the easiest way to justify this nightmare, yet ironically it is the police that are first on scene and police officers who provide life saving first aid until ambulance crews arrive. It is also Met Police Officers who work tirelessly across the capital with many anti knife crime organisations and groups to stop the battle of knife crime.
The Met have many gang and youth engagement officers that work everyday with youths to stop these horrors. The Havering Daily has worked with many youth engagement officers across East Area who do fantastic work in our community. The list of officers who have excellent relations across the capital with our youths is a long one and the work they do is vital.
However, it is them and anti knife crime campaigners that are tackling this nightmare on their own. Money is thrown here and there to stop knife crime but what is it actually achieving? These two incidents have shown the reality of our society. We have teenagers who fear for their lives and now pensioners who are going to be scared to leave their home in broad daylight.
These fatalities should be called out now- but they are not. Communities are in shock and yet no word from the capital’s leaders.