London's lost charm

London is no longer the city of joy, variety, hot, exciting curry and youthful adventures, writes Vijay Dutt.

Where has London of monopoly gone?
It is not very happy tidings despite the festive season in full bloom. And it's not very dark phase for only the Home Secretary David Blunkett, who is facing an embarrassing inquiry whether he used his position to get his former lover's nanny a visa for permanent residency within 19 days, but most Londoners seem to be going through a fearful and uncertain time. London is no longer the eternal city of joy, variety, hot, exciting curry and youthful adventures.

Stabbings and killings during peak busy hours in most upmarket and hitherto safe residential areas have made Londoners not only more scared and cynical but marred the build up to Christmas, which is just round the corner. Most of us feel that now New York is safer than London. If a top financier can be stabbed to death at 7 pm in Chelsea, no place is any longer safe.

Lights, X-Mas trees and decorations have created the festive ambience, but rising crime graph and fear of being attacked anytime, anywhere is haunting the shoppers and stores equally. How long can one keep looking over one's shoulders. Those who own cars may wish to drive to central London or to office and avoid taking the tube late while returning late in the evening. But now the Mayor has decreed that the congestion charge shall increase from £5 a day to £8 a day. That kills the desire to drive. But then waiting for an underground train when the station is deserted or into the compartment, which has a few rough looking passengers can be traumatic too. One wonders what has gone wrong with the London of the monopoly.

A knock at the door will now make us fear the worst. Burglars who carry weapons are most likely to strike between 6 pm and 11 pm fully knowing they are breaking into houses when the homeowners are there. This is frightening. The break-ins take place more in November for most festivals including Diwali are celebrated and people start to buy presents and for themselves in preparation of Christmas and the New Year.

According to the British Crime survey 51 per cent of burglaries are carried out when residents are in the property. Doors are the most common point of entry, with 71 per cent of intruders gaining access that way, 28 per cent by forcing a lock. So in London, it appears that at the present there is no place which can be called safe, no shopping area where one can shop and return to one's car or wait at a bus stop without any fear of being robbed. There have been a few instances of ladies being "relieved" of their purchases while getting into their cars in parking lots of supermarkets.

But while a young financier could be stabbed to death in the low crime area of Chelsea, where the police presence was allegedly minimal, the police does seem to have the knack to catch people like one man who was driving to a business meeting. He was arrested and allegedly mistreated after the police found a pen-knife in his briefcase during a routine anti-terrors road blocks. Why must we blame the police at roads-blocks in Delhi.