Inside London's Most Dangerous Town 🇬🇧

I had been hanging out in Camden Town with all the tourists, freaks and weirdos, but it was time to get down to business..

I ventured to Croydon in South London. This is an area that has a reputation for high levels of crime. Gang activity is rife in the area and many locals do not feel safe. I took to the streets of the town to chat to the locals about the current situation in early 2024. It was particularly difficult to get people on the street to chat to me on camera, so I do thank those who did. I must say that in general the people I met were friendly, although it was obvious to me there was a heavy atmosphere of danger in the air even in the middle of the day.

Here are links to some statistics referencing the crime numbers in Croydon, and some new articles about recent crimes there too:

#London #croydon #crime #dangerous #streetinterview #brokenbritain

[richardmillican]

I broke down in Croydon about 20 years ago. And the guy in the yellow sweater reminded me of the guy who came to my assistance, nobody asked him to, but he did, he let me crash out in his flat, we went for a beer with him and his pals, and he wouldn't take anything from me even though without his help I'd have been totally screwed.

Good people.
Makes you proud to be British

[cave]

westminster and parlinment are the most dangerous places in london

[nevillej]

It’s not just Croydon, the country is a train wreck…

[sourjellybaby]

The man with the dirty yellow top is a legend. Had a rough life but gets his points across very well

[SteveB]

I could cry when I see what's become of Croydon. I grew up there in the 70's and it was a fantastic place. It is unrecognisable now to the town i once knew. Like the 62 year old interviewed, I was born in St Mary's maternity hospital back in the mid 60's. I could not have wished to grow up in a nicer area. But like others have said, it's not just Croydon, so many other towns have taken a similar downturn. Though gladly, not all have become as dangerous as Croydon. But honestly, if you could look back in time to the 70's you would not believe you were in the same place. Very sad.

[ValTwineDeaner]

The majority of Britain has been turned into a futuristic, dystopian horror movie. Thanks Government. It resembles the film, "Escape From New York".

[chriscilia]

I was there in February 2023. Went to watch a match between crystal palace and Liverpool on a Friday evening. Going back to the Hotel in the Centre ( just opposite that empty shopping center you showed) was quite a scary experience. Some kid cut himself with a flick knife on the bus. The bus floor was full of blood. Some guy took off his shirt and applied it as a tourniquet around the kid’s wrist. I would definitely not have gone had I watched this video first. Didn’t feel safe at all. On the bus afraid to look at anyone just stared outside me and my son and were massively relieved to get back to the hotel safe and sound

[tonimarx]

My Mum was a Psychology lecturer back in the 90's when i was growing up as a kid. She had studied at Oxford and knew lots of well-to-do people who were "finacially blessed".
I travelled to London with her one particular weekend and stayed in an incredible multimillion pound residence near Camden which had marble floors and high ceilings. When my Mum and her friend went to sleep i snuck out onto the balcony to smoke a cigarette (i was only 14). As i smoked i looked down on the streets below.
I was absolutely astounded at all the drug dealing, crime, yardies and fights going on in what was supposed to be an afluent area. I ended up sitting there watching the madness unfold for at least an hour before i crept back inside.
I'm no sociology expert but something tells me that London has been full of crime and skulduggery since its inception.

[mylips]

Croydon is definitely not the most dangerous part of London. It’s a concrete jungle.

[dartanianrubanne]

Up until the mid-1980's Croydon was a fantasic town to live and work in, vibrant and full of energy with the best and most varied retail outlets in the whole country, after Harrods and Selfridges (In London), Allders was the largest department store in the UK, and many people to this day thought it was the best to shop in - Not to mention Croydon's two other iconic department stores, Kennards and Grants.
Prior to 1989 when North End was pedestrianised and closed off to traffic, on a Saturday, around Christmas and during the annual shop sales (Without exaggerating), it was impossible to walk along the high street without brushing every single person you passed, to say Croydon was busy back then would be an understatement.
Surrey Street Market has been trading since 1276, one of the oldest markets in the UK and there was a time during the 1970's / 80's when there was up to a five-year waiting list for a stall, and many generations of families worked there.
Today Croydon is a shadow of its former glory, totally neglected with 80% of the shops either dilapidated or boarded up, depressing, filthy and full of unemployed wondering immigrants. This demise is solely due to Croydon Council and the amount of corruption, incompetence, and their mismanagement - Unfortunately not one Council leader was held to account or prosecuted, but instead getting massive financial payoffs and moving on to other high-powered jobs - All well documented.
There is investment but only hungry opportunist investors constructing high-rise low-quality tower blocks, mainly rent only apartments.
Unfortunately, Croydon is not an isolated case, there are literally 100's of other towns and area’s just like Croydon throughout the United Kingdom.
I have travelled and lived in most of Asia and when one compares the United Kingdom to all these other countries you realise just how backward and third word the United Kingdom has become - Extremely sad but 100% fact.

[sashajasper]

I was born in the UK and lived in South London and Bristol but have spent my life in Australia travelling back and forth every 3-5 years for the past 40 years. Parts of those areas have always been rough. However, during that time I have seen quite big changes in places that were once familiar to me. Now I don't really have any urge to return.

[Jamibi]

I lived in Croydon for 33 years, when I had enough money to buy a property I decided to move to East Grinstead. I never had any trouble in Croydon, but even in my lifetime it changed drastically. I wouldn't feel safe going down London Road at night at all. I still work near East Croydon station so I'm there once a week or so. Still feels like home. Great video, really interesting to read some of the comments.

[mikehowell]

Croydon used to be such a wonderful place to live.
I grew up on the borough where there was a great community feeling about the place.
The shops, night time economy, pubs, restaurants and night clubs use to be in abundance where everyone would travel from all over London for shopping or great night out.
It's a shame you only managed to speak with two genuine local Croydonians who told you how great the borough of Croydon used to be.
Surrey street market definitely is not the same, all the old stall holders have long gone! Apart from one or two of the old stall holders remain like the bloke you briefly spoke with.
Croydon is such a huge borough to police, this is why you never saw many police.
I recall from my time growing up there, the police were there in great numbers, unlike today, officers now have to cover three boroughs, Bromley, Sutton and Croydon with lower numbers etc.
I like many others Croydonians have left the borough for pastures new.
I still come back to the borough to watch my beloved Crystal Palace FC, at Selhurst park, soon as the game is over I am out the ground and back in the safety of my car for the journey back to the south coast.
If I get the train to London, it's amazing to see how many people are making the journey Selhurst Park.
Lots of the original locals to Croydon have left for Kent, Surrey, Sussex to escape the place which was home for me and them also.
Croydon is now the biggest dumping ground, which in my opinion has brought the issues, deprivation and violence which you see today.
All I will say.
God bless RIP Croydon.🙏🏼

[TrevRaynsford]

I lived in Mitcham for 41 years and used to go to Croydon every week. It’s definitely not how I remember it from years back.

[kscterry]

The town centre in Croydon has gone massively down over the last 10/12 years. The High Street used to be buzzing. The Whitgift shopping centre (where you go to here) was meant to have a complete refurbishment in to a Westfield which has been stalled for years. This has meant the town centre retail hasn’t been invested in at all as there is the potential for this to come along. A previous Labour run council invested very badly in housing projects and commercial property which bankrupted the council. High property prices have pushed some in now more gentrified areas of Brixton and Peckham in to cheaper Croydon. The North is very different to the South. The worst parts of Croydon are in the North, Thornton Heath and Selhurst are particular problem areas for crime etc. They are worse than where you are here. Sanderstead and Selsdon in the South are far more affluent and are much safer. Other tough areas of London are some parts of Brixton, Tottenham and North Peckham

[definty]

The market he was on around 15:00 is Surrey Street Market. It's been there nearly 1000 years. It's around 800 but some people say it goes even older than 1000 years to the Anglo Saxons.

[bustersw]

Back in the 60`s, when I was a teenager, Croydon was a nice and popular place. Good shops, bowling alley and some decent pubs and clubs around and I did my apprentice training in Croydon Technical College. My in laws came from Roundshaw, a rough estate from when it was built, but most of the people were OK. Then the Home Office building opened in Wellesly Road, and it attracted the cause of the current problems, who were housed in the local area. Now, it`s a right shit hole.

[SimonLloydGuitar]

I was born in Lewisham in the 70s. It was always poor and scruffy, but it was safe and had a community. The place changed beyond all recognition for various reasons. My Dad moved us away and it was the best thing we ever did. My Aunt and Uncle are the only members of the family who are still there. They are trapped. They are the only Londoners living on her street. Everyone else escaped or died.

[bramberm]

My grandparents moved out of central London to Croydon in the 1940s, it was a prosperous town near the ‘countryside’, many happy memories, I went to school there and worked there for several years and it was always thriving, I remember everyone coming out of shops and offices to watch the Olympic torch procession in 2012!
Rapidly went downhill in last 10 years, I only live a few miles further out but never go there 😢
Would have been good to look at the history as well, the Almshouses, the Minster and the Palace!

[matthewstevens]

That Whitgift shopping centre is absolutely incredible. I remember being brought shopping there before Christmas with my parents when I was a kid (so you're talking 25 years ago - I'm 33 now) and it was heaving with colour and Christmas lights and busy people and happy crowds and packed shops and so on. To see it just utterly collapse in that space of time is mental.