Capital rambles

There is evidence that London is becoming a more dangerous place than New York. Violent crime is rising, moped gangs snatch phones, youths die in stabbings and acid attacks are on the increase. How dreadful if this trend took hold. For it is still a great pleasure in central London to walk in a leisurely way, looking at the historic buildings and stopping for a coffee or swift half. The biggest nuisance is oncoming pedestrians looking at their mobiles instead of where they’re going. Tourists come partly to share in this relaxed atmosphere. London has been before a cultural centre yet a web of violent streets – in the elegant Georgian era of Dr Johnson, who rambled freely, being big enough to look after himself. The 13 per cent of Britons who now live in London are not tired of life; they like their streets lively, not deadly.