In the UK, theft is rampant, and the country has long been criticized for its low safety rankings and high crime rates. A Chinese expatriate who immigrated to the UK expressed deep concern over the deteriorating public safety, recounting a previous burglary where no police responded to his call. He noted that gang fights occur daily outside takeout restaurants, and even mentioned an incident where a young girl was raped, lamenting, "Things that I took for granted in Hong Kong are not guaranteed here," and pointed out, "Returning to Shenzhen seems safer than London."
A Hong Kong resident who moved to the UK in the 1990s shared on the social platform Threads that thoughts about returning to Hong Kong have emerged over the past two years. He stated, "I've been here a long time, but it's only in these past two years that I've thought about returning to Hong Kong," citing experiences of worsening public safety, healthcare, economic conditions, and public services following Brexit, leaving him feeling quite lost.
In a recent post, he addressed the safety issues he has faced in the UK over the years. "Many years ago, my home was broken into, and almost none of the drawers were intact. When I called the police, no officers came. They just told me over the phone not to touch anything and wait for an investigator to arrive the next day, but they couldn't say when. In the end, I stayed up all night and finally saw someone around noon the next day, who looked around for 10 minutes, went back to the office to write a report, and that was it."
He noted the daily occurrences of violence on the streets, stating, "Moreover, there used to be gang fights almost every few days outside takeout restaurants, and several times they rushed into our store to rob. There are frequent notices on the street about people getting stabbed to death, and the most outrageous incident was when a 13-year-old girl was dragged into an alley and raped."
He tried to change his surroundings but saw little improvement. "I later moved to a more affluent area filled with big houses and luxury cars, but it turned out that with so many luxury vehicles, cars were being stolen daily. Local parks even have incidents of girls being raped while jogging." He believes that these realities of public safety are something those who immigrated from Hong Kong before relocating to the UK were truly unaware of.
He lamented, "Things that I took for granted in Hong Kong are not guaranteed here," also stating, "In fact, returning to Shenzhen now seems safer than London." He then asked other Hong Kong residents with British National (Overseas) visas if they regretted moving to the UK, saying, "To all Hong Kong immigrants who have lived in the UK for a few years, what do you think? Do you regret moving to the UK?"
Some netizens commented, "London is becoming increasingly dangerous, prices are rising, and taxes are increasing," and "Crime in London has always been a mess; stealing phones, phone scams, and phishing are all your responsibility... You have to be especially careful when the weather is nice; gangs come out on a sunny day to create chaos! In Zones 1-3, small Tesco and Sainsbury's stores, during long holidays, have more robbers than customers!"
Related News:
Immigration concerns: Hongkonger lists 9 major challenges to discourage moving to Japan
Family of three plans to immigrate with HK$90,000, faces overwhelming criticism online
Comment