Crickey, what does it say for us mere unarmed mortals when top cop Inspector Glen Smyth is too scared to travel solo on trains late at night? Admittedly, Smyth's fear has been provoked: a failed attempt to arrest a drunk, unruly train passenger in Feltham on the night of the England V. Germany football match at Wembley left Smyth all bloody-nosed. A spokesman for the British Transport Police says:
He has a right to feel nervous but it is a one in a million chance of something unfortunate happening.
Here's a look at how the rest of us feel:
- A 2004/2005 survey revealed that London has the highest number of safety concerned individuals.
- Males are apparently most worried about theft from their car, while females' main concerns are muggings and rape.
- 17 per cent of females compared to 3 per cent of males reported feeling very unsafe when walking home late at night.
- And in general, those over the age of 60 view themselves as total goners at most hours of the day.
Image from Ben Ward's flickr photostream
