The survey was conducted by OnePoll, who describe themselves as “pioneers in the public relations survey, originally a tool to secure column inches in national newspapers”. When I leave my friends after a night out, or even just a meal, the phrase ‘text me when you get home so I know you’re safe’ is always said, regardless of whether I’ve had anything to drink, regardless of whether I’m just walking to my car or walking home.” “As a woman, walking home after dark I have been scared that I wouldn’t make it home. Just reading my WalesOnline alerts is enough to frighten anyone. Those concerns are legitimate and I’m not surprised due to the number of high profile cases we’ve had. Tory Cllr Mia Rees said: “The survey shows people are concerned about crime in our city. People are scared and we have a duty to make our city safer.”Ĭonservative councillors backed the motion but criticised the proposals to explore drug consumption rooms. But this is about people’s perceptions, based on what they see around them and what they feel. Maybe in terms of recorded crime figures some areas have got more crime. “Whether Cardiff deserves the title of the least safe city in the UK is debatable. Police were out in force, helicopters in the sky, armed police were everywhere, and local schools were told not to let their children leave for almost two hours. “Not long after that a group of men were spotted brandishing machetes near my local leisure centre, around 3pm in the afternoon. This spring in Llanedeyrn, we had two stabbings in a month, both suspected to be gang-related, and this happened within 200 metres of a primary school. And then they fall out, and start stabbing each other. He added: “Drug crime is up, county lines are bringing gangs into our communities exploiting the vulnerable, bringing misery and destroying lives.
MISERY THE ARMED ZONE INSTALL
He was proposing a motion to call on Cardiff council to hire more anti-social behaviour officers, review youth services, increase support for community groups and sports clubs, install more CCTV cameras, and explore creating drug consumption rooms, in a bid to reduce crime in the city and make people feel safer. “It’s not just me who thinks this, a recent poll of 15 major UK cities rated Cardiff the least safe place to live.”ĭo you think Cardiff is a safe city? Let us know in the comments below Something has gone seriously wrong with our city over the last four years. I was never naive to think we were a village where you could leave your doors wide open, but the crime I used to see was fairly low level. Liberal Democrat Councillor Joe Carter said: “I used to view Cardiff as a relatively safe city. The figures lef to opposition councillors in Cardiff stating these figures showed “something has seriously gone wrong with our city”, while Labour councillors slammed the survey as “clickbait news” and insisted Cardiff is safe, in an hour-long row at a council meeting on Thursday, October 21. Read more: If you're interested in reading more about Cardiff, visit our Cardiff homepage Respondents were asked to rate how safe they felt on a scale of zero to 10, with 133 Cardiff residents giving a score on average of 6.9, below the national average score of 7.4. The survey was commissioned to promote a new crime drama television programme, and led to several newspaper headlines claiming Cardiff was the “UK’s most dangerous city”. A ‘clickbait’ survey claiming Cardiff is the least safe city in the United Kingdom has prompted a fierce council debate on crime.Ī public relations company commissioned a survey asking 2,000 residents of the country’s 15 biggest cities how safe they felt where they live, including 133 people in Cardiff.