Glasgow crime

I think Chicago has Glasgow beat hands down, and I go there all the time.

Thanks Emma. I get Daily Trivia reports - not sure exactly who puts them together. That's where I got the information, I listed as if the statistic was today. I tend to believe everything I read. Thanks for the updated information! I was going to go there anyway but just wanted to see if people had any experiences with crime and safety there.

I spent nearly a week in Glasgow in July. Never felt even slightly uncomfortable. It's not as obviously all-scrubbed-up-for-tourists as much of Edinburgh is, but I found it a very interesting city architecturally, and there are lots of good museums. I had fun tracking down most of the Charles Rennie Mackintosh buildings.

Edited to correct an unfortunate omission (see bold text).

What is the “crime and safety” situation in Santa Rosa?

I have spent time in Glasgow two of the last three years and felt very comfortable there.

I think there might be some rough neighborhoods you would want to avoid but I didn’t need to go to any of them as a tourist.

Oh just come on down to LA for gangs.

I live in Hollywood and hear gun fire at least once a month.

Does it deter me from living here? No.

I go to Europe often.

Been to Cuba and Istanbul.

Life is about living.

Be informed but don’t be paranoid.

Thank you all. We were in London several years ago when the tube was bombed - just missed being in there. We were scheduled for Amsterdam and Brussels one year when Brussels was bombed (cancelled that trip); plus we were scheduled to fly to the UK on 9/11 and, of course, didn't get to go. Horrible thing. I guess I am a chicken.but like to be prepared - not sure you always can be. Thanks again.

Most of the crime in Glasgow is in areas away from where the tourists will go, and indeed away from most of locals will go.

Like most large cities its crime in Glasgow tends to be linked to poverty, drugs and alcohol, and other crime. The overwhelming number of people who live, work or visit the Dear Green Place will not be involved in crime in any form.

"I think there might be some rough neighborhoods you would want to avoid but I didn’t need to go to any of them as a tourist."

I agree with this very important point. And it's not just Glasgow where this applies.

When one hears that a particular city is "dangerous," the first question I always ask is, is the danger in an area that a tourist is likely to go, or is it miles away?

For the majority of cities, the areas of interest to tourists, and the areas where most crimes happen, have no overlap. Of course there are exceptions, but Glasgow isn't one of them. As a visitor, you'll be focused on the city centre, the areas just east of this, and the West End. These areas are fine.

A coworker who sits next to me is from Glasgow, he says you're better off avoiding the East end but as a tourist you'll likely be focusing on the city centre and west end anyway. He also says Glasgow is like any city and to use some common sense in the evenings such as avoiding dark alleys and dark parks, be aware of what's going on around you in the subway, etc.

I have been to Glasgow three times and would not hesitate to go again. Just stick to the tourist areas and you'll be fine. (Mostly Central City.)

I just feel if you only listen to these reports you will never travel anywhere. I live in NYC in Washinton Heights. (Yes, Lin Manuel is not far away!) There was a stabbing this week between my apartment and the subway stop that I use. This is horrifying, but what do I do about it? I go to the Precinct meeting to find out what's going on. But I keep going to work and walking to and fro that subway stop. The neighborhood is basically really safe, but it would be very easy for someone to condemn it completely. Are there parts of NYC I would not walk around in? Of course! And it's the same in Glasgow, London, Paris, Los Angelos, Atlanta, Dallas, Frankfurt, Liverpool, well you get the idea. You need to dig deeper when you get these types of reports. You need to look at the dates of the reports, the locations, the frequency, and ask locals. If I had a concern about a specific location, I would go to the TripAdvisor Forum and ask about the report. I would take care in my questioning to make sure that don't imply that the entire city is unsafe, but that I want to know about a particular area. We want to be safe in our travels. But we also want to have our travels!