I have heard a lot of places talk of how to be extra vigilant and aware when you are in new york for thieves, pickpockets and muggers.
how bad is the problem? i live in the uk and you need a certain amaount of vigilance in anay large city, but just how frequent are muggings/pickpocketings and which are the areas to stay clear of?

I live in New York City and I often visit London. The level of vigilance that a tourist must exercise is about the same for both London and NYC. I once saw a tourist in Times Square count the money in his wallet and a teenage kid snatched the wallet and the kid was gone in a flash. Just use your common sense and you will be OK. Avoid deserted streets at night. The tourist spots are OK at night because the cops are present.

I work in NYC and have never had a problem.

I wouldn't be naive enough to believe it doesn't exist, but I don't personally know anyone who has had a problem, and that is with much time spent in the city and a daughter living there for several years. I do, however, know someone who had a purse stolen right from the lobby of a nice hotel in London! [while four adults sat around a table talking] I would say, using common sense, you should be just fine. I also would like to add that my husband once lost his wallet in the city, only to have someone from NYC track us down to return it.

I've worked here for over 20 years, i've lived here for 15 years. I'm raising my kids here. Once I dozed off on a subway and had a chain snatched, and that was many years ago (before i lived here). In general I feel very safe and secure and wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Just use common sense as you would in London. Avoid the subway at 3am alone and things like that. Most tourists areas are very safe. As long as there's activity, people on the street, restaurants and stores open, etc., the area would generally be safe.

~pagey, we visited NYC for the first time in Dec. My husband was very concerned about this too, and insisted that I even leave my engagement ring at home. (Of course, I ignored him!) We used a "regular amt of common sense" and did not feel any danger. When we were there, many NY'ers told us that the city has been cleaned up a lot in the past few years. We enjoyed our trip so much that we will be returning to NYC later this month.

The only reason that I can think of for warning tourists to be on their guard (including toursts from London going to NY and tourists from NY going to London!) is that when traveling, we are likely to be overwhelmed with excitement, jet lag, toting luggage, new places, unfamiliar money and language, etc. etc. So that travelers can sometimes forget to take the common-sense precautions that they do automatically back home. Wherever home is. Muggers, pickpockets, et al. are on the lookout for anyone vulnerable, and that includes out-of-towners.

I have lived in NYC for a long time and for years now it has been as safe as most big cities..Europes included.I think that a lot of incidents of purse snatching and chain snatching can happen in little towns all over the country as well as big cities. Myself and my husband and both children have traveled all over New York City on our own and have never had one problem.In fact, once in Soho, I was carrying a lot of jewelry,delivering it to a jeweler,and it was in my purse,when a bum started following me down the street,just talking to me ,but because of my cargo, I got a little worried.A man crossing the street saw what was happening, came over, advised the to bum to leave and he walked me to the next block..Moral of story you can have bad luck anywhere and good, New York is safe.

I've been in New York since 1964. It is quite safe now. You might possibly want to walk a little faster than you're used to to fit in.

Former Mayor Giuliani took a lot of criticism for targeting petty theft and street crime. Whatever you think of him and his campaing, the result is that Manhattan (where you'll undoubtedly be) is about as safe as any big city in the world. But, sure, the commonsense approach still works best.

I've been in New York since 1964. It is quite safe now. You might possibly want to walk a little faster than you're used to to fit in.

thankyou all for your help