Quintessential Londoners Liz Hurley and Joan Collins have spoken out about rising crime in the capital city, revealing they feel safer in New York than in the heart of their English home town.
Speaking as part of a safety drive for Women’s Own magazine, Liz explained she feels much more secure on US streets. “We definitely need a stronger police presence on the streets (in Britain),” says the actress, who was robbed at knifepoint by a gang of teens in Kensington eight years ago. “It’s rare to see them at all now. In America, uniformed cops eat in coffee shops, diners and restaurants, and I always feel safer having them around.”
In an interview with the Mail On Sunday,Dynasty actress Joan Collins concurred with her fellow Brit. “To be honest, I feel much more comfortable there (in New York) than I do in London,” she says. “I feel so much safer for a start.”
Saying that in New York, “people are more polite, more respectful”, Joan explained: “As a young girl in my teens and twenties, I could stroll around the streets of London, by night if I chose, and know that I’d be safe. I’m sad to say it, but that is no longer the case… Groups of muggers are frequently attacking people in the area where I live in London. And the police don’t appear to be able to do anything about it.” Joan has personal experience with crime, as her daughter Tara’s £7,000 Cartier watch was recently stolen in a Notting Hill mugging.
However, a representative for the star quashed talk that Joan planned to leave London permanently for the Big Apple. “She’s in New York filming and will be travelling back and forth between there and London until next year,” said a spokesperson. “Her main residence is in England and she’s certainly not frightened to live there.”
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
