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Beyond Tourism
In any type of crisis situation, the most important thing to do is to stay calm. Your country’s embassy in London is usually your best resource when things go wrong; registering with that embassy upon arrival in London is often a good idea. The government offices listed in the Travel Advisories box can provide information on the services they offer in case of emergencies abroad.
Police officers (bobbies) are stationed throughout the city and are more than willing to give directions or to help in an emergency situation. In an emergency, dial ☎999 (or ☎112 from cell phones). While the Metropolitan Police (New Scotland Yard, Broadway; ☎7230 1212; www.met.police.uk) oversees most of the city, the City of London Police (37 Wood St.; ☎7601 2455 www.cityoflondonpolice.uk) has jurisdiction over the City.
The legal drinking age in the UK is complicated. Technically, it’s legal for anyone to drink alcohol in private, but there are many regulations regarding who can buy or sell it. To buy alcohol in a shop, you have to be at least 18; it’s illegal to buy alcohol on behalf of an underage person. Eighteen is also the normal drinking age in bars and pubs, but you can drink in a pub with food at 16 or even at 14 in a restaurant. While you need to look really young before anyone will demand ID, punishments are severe. Smoking is simpler—you have to be 16 or older to purchase cigarettes.
Drugs are a more serious offense, and you could be jailed or deported if convicted. Be especially wary in nightclubs. If you need to take a drug for medical reasons, check that it is legal in the UK and always carry a prescription or note from your doctor. Cannabis in the UK is a Class C drug, meaning that carrying a small amount is not always an arrest-worthy offense.
By American and most European standards, violent crime in London is rare. While Hackney, Tottenham, and parts of South and East London are some of London’s dodgier neighborhoods, they also hold some of the city’s best nightlife—take extra care after dark around King’s Cross, the East End, and Brixton.
When it comes to theft (especially pickpocketing or bag snatching), travelers need to be careful in London. Don’t put a wallet in your back pocket and don’t keep all your valuables (money and important documents) in one place. If you carry a handbag, buy a sturdy one with a secure clasp and wear it crosswise with the clasp against you. Use a money belt and keep a small cash reserve (£40 or so) somewhere well protected and hidden.
London traditionally prides itself on being an exceptionally tolerant city. However, no city is perfect, and the ethnic tensions since the 1950s have taken their toll. While overall London is color-blind, in South London, tensions are worst between black immigrants and poor whites; there’s also friction within the black community between West Indians and Africans. In East London, racism sometimes targets South Asians. These trouble spots aside, races mix in London to a greater extent than in most cities. Among second-generation immigrants, there’s little cultural distinction.
As a world leader, London has been a target of local and global terrorism. Until their 1997 cease-fire, IRA bombers intermittently attacked London; their goal was to pressure the British government into negotiations with the political group Sinn Féin over the UK’s control of Northern Ireland. Since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US, authorities in London have been on alert for possible attacks, given the UK’s close relation with the US.
On July 7, 2005, a series of bombs exploded, three in Tube cars and one on a city bus, killing roughly 50 people and wounding hundreds more. The explosions came one day after the announcement of London’s successful bid for the 2012 Olympics and in the midst of the G8 summit (a meeting of eight of the world’s most industrialized nations). Al-Qaeda eventually claimed responsibility for the attacks and several individuals were tried and sentenced to prison terms in the UK. Further bomb scares occurred in June of 2007, when three car bombs were discovered in different parts of London. None were detonated and nobody was harmed, and the investigation into these attacks is ongoing.
More information on international and domestic terrorism and the UK’s response is available from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (☎7270 1500; www.fco.gov.uk), the Prime Minister’s office website (www.pm.gov.uk), and the Metropolitan Police (☎7230 1212; www.met.police.uk). The box on travel advisories lists offices and websites to consult to obtain the most up-to-date list of your home country’s government’s advisories about travel.
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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