Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

So my family is telling me it is impossible for a small sized young lady to be taking the train alone at night. Is that true? Is Perth that unsafe? Please share your experiences.

Statistics says that approximately 1 out of 200,000 people who take the train are victims of crime.

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

In my experience, not on the Clarkson line. Transit gaurds are usually on the train. Can't speak for the other lines though.

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

Perth dangerous? theres no one there!!.keep away from Northbridge past midnight and u will b fine:D

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

Perth unsafe?
Go to the CBD at a quarter past six and count the people you will see, probably you stay alone!

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

I know! I have googled my brains out the past couple hours and could not find any articles about Perth being unsafe, except for some train crimes and a Chinese ECU student getting killed. My friend went on and on about how unsafe it is and that I MUST buy a car and never take the train at night. I find it hard to believe her when I can hardly find anything on Google. And my friends call me Google Queen.

I was thinking of living in Joondalup even though I'll be going to school at UWA. Wise choice? I really like Joondalup. It's all new and pretty. And for $320 I could get a decent and new apartment.

Will definitely stay away from Northbridge then! :)

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

Joondalup is nice, my family live there, but my brother got a knife held to his neck when getting off the train and had his money and wallet stolen. Joondalup is pretty safe, just not as safe or as nice as it used to be.

Perth does have the highest home burglary rate in the country, but as long as you avoid northbridge and the city at night you should be fine. From my own experience trains are usually safe at night.

Mikey

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

Hi

Don't know where your from? but the info that I have, is that even Northbridge is tame compared to most of the UK!

Steve

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

You hear different things. A while back there were people saying they'd never take a southern line and definitely not the line that goes to Midland, but most people that take that northern route to Joondalup have had no problem. Then you hear that someone was held up at knife point so it's probably just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. There will always be opportunistic crimes which doesn't make the whole place bad all the time. I think you can feel safe on the trains in the daytime and normal commuter hours. The stations we saw looked clean, open and well lit.

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

I heard the murder rate is even worse than Bogotá, Columbia...

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

Well, I've been murdered three times this year alone! Once while riding the train, once while shopping in Joondalup and once in Northbridge. It's a wonder anyone survives here.

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

Yikes, Dorothy! What is your definition of murdered?

Okay I know not to carry too much money and use more cards. I will try my best to look like a poor student too. :D

So when is normal commuting hours? 6am to 9am and 4pm to 8pm? The last time I was there we rented a car, so we have no idea at all. I'm trying to see if my school hours would allow me to fit in normal commute hours.

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

thats ridiculous:lol:

look at london at the moment
27 teenagers have been murdered(mainly by other teenagers) this year so far

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

That's nothing, 31 people have been bored to death in Perth just in the last week. If you go south it only gets worse, take Busselton for instance, the whole towns dead now, but at least the old people are happy !

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

You're hilarious. :p

My email is yahoo.co.uk and I get the feeds on news on my main Yahoo page. I try to avoid looking at it because it is always about someone getting murdered. And recently it's about teenagers getting killed.

So when are normal commute hours in Perth. :p I am still wondering.

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

06:30 - 08:30 and 15:00 - 18:30 are the busiest times in my experience on the Joondalup ( Clarkson ) line. I have always felt safe on the trains, even at night and, as has been said, there nearly always seem to be transit guards on the trains at night.

Been here 8 months and haven't been burgled, robbed or mugged. Never felt safer. :thumbsup:

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

I'm so happy to hear that. My friend really scared me shitless. Is taking the train at 10pm at night pretty safe too? I'm worried about late nights in school. I could get my OH to wait for my at the train station, but don't want him to get mugged instead.

And not meaning to start a racist fight here, but are Asians more vulnerable to crime since they are shorter and smaller?

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

Never travelled after 10pm but I would imagine that there may be more boozed-up people later on ???

Doubt if Asians are more vulnerable - if someone is out to mug or beat-up someone they'll do it to whoever they find that appears vulnerable I guess.

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

That's true. Definitely need to practise common sense here. Sometimes I let my fear get the better of me. :D

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

Sarcasm. It's called sarcasm.
Two really silly questions above. Yes, the train is safe at 10 pm. I've done it a number of times coming home alone from after-work dinners or drinks in the city. Why would your OH be mugged waiting for you at the train station? Has he ever been mugged while waiting at the train station where you live now?

Well, if Asians are more vulnerable because they're shorter and smaller than I guess it stands to reason that my 6' tall 230lb caucasian husband should never be the victim of a crime? :confused:

Who is this friend who's telling you all these things? Does she live in the Perth area? Has she been a victim of a violent crime? Has anyone she knows personally been a victim of a violent crime? Has she been robbed on the train or mugged while waiting at the station? Sounds to me like she doesn't want you to move over here for some reason. If you're coming on a student visa then obviously you are intelligent enough to do some research. Take a look at the crime statistics for the area and tell your "friend" to piss off with her phony scare tactics.

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

I'm sorry you thought the "Is taking the train at 10pm at night pretty safe too?" question was silly. I obviously have not lived in Perth so I don't know that. I come from a country where it is safe to walk around alone at 4am.

As for the other question about Asians being more vulnerable, I admit my fear got the better of me and I wasn't thinking straight. But I have googled and some forum mentioned of people calling Asian girls yellow taxi or the like and how they are vulnerable to crime.

We don't have a train station where my OH lives, so he has never been mugged at a train station. He comes from a safe town of 80,000 where it is okay to leave your doors unlocked. I had a concern for him being mugged because Mikeyc's brother got mugged at Joondalup.

Well yeah I bet people would think twice about mugging a 230lb Caucasian unless they are bigger than him or had a gun/knife. If they had to choose between a 110lb and 230lb person, the 110lb person would be more vulnerable.

Yes my friend lived in Perth for 3.5 years. But I now believe she was exaggerating about the crimes based on your answers to my questions.

It's fine if your questions were meant to be sarcastic, I really don't know. I just answered them all because I had valid reasons for my worries. And posting in this forum forms part of my research on life in Perth. Many of the questions asked in this whole forum can be answered through research on the Internet. Does that mean people should not discuss?

Well here is some info that I have found for the sake of others who are interested in the safety of Perth suburbs:
http://www.viacorp.com/perth-suburbs-by-assaults.html
http://www.viacorp.com/perth-suburbs-by-burglaries.html

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

You need to put those statistics into perspective. In the UK crime is measured in rate per thousand so 1 in 200,000 would be like 0.005 people per thousand. What is that statistic measuring? Crimes per year, per day, over what area? one line? the whole network? What type of crime? Robbery, assault, being spat at, or someone just giving you a funny look?

A crime rate of 1 per 200,000 on the London Underground would see me trading my car, nice rural home and country lifestyle for an Oyster card on direct debit. Thats safer than anywhere in the UK by my reckonings. Do 200,000 even use the trains in Perth?

Incidentally the crime rate where I live is 85 per thousand so thats 17,000 per 200,000. I think your other half will probably be quite safe. :D

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

Excellent first comment Dorothy (page1). Perth dangerous? Try travelling to sunderland at any time of the day, even the bloody river doesn't stop! My advice is get a taxi after 9pm.

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

I'm going to put a spanner in the works here and say that there is no way I would travel on the trains alone at night in Perth. In Perth the city train station was full of weirdos - hairy biker blokes or gangs of kids. They have a police station there for a reason. At night they have guards on the train and again that is for a reason. Full of mostly weirdos. I saw quite alot of aggro on the Freo - Perth line. One beardy weirdo was really laying in to a nurse who had finished her shift, threatening, swearing etc luckily the guards stepped in. I have seen loads of people chucked off the trains. In the UK the average person uses public transport whereas in the States and Aus I find it is some of the more marginalised people who do. There was actually a Perth play written - night train to Freo (I think) about the dodgy trains. Also there are gangs of kids who think it's cool to swear and intimidate people. Lots of crime takes place at the Perth station and on the trains. Personally I had one really scarey experience on a train in the UK, back in the 80s when a skinhead was attacking people and then one in the states where a kind of gangster type guy started threatening my husband and was yelling all this ' homeboy' stuff and pointing to his pants like he had a knife, it was terrifying. Luckily in Perth there is the guards at night time and my advice would be if you have to travel stick near to them. Well dodgy. These days I stick to driving or walking !

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

Just to add it's called 'Last train to Freo' and it's being made into a film and should be released in Australia.

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

I've never been to Perth but I'll comment on Sydney, as I'm sure any big city in Australia is much the same.

IMHO it really depends what you're used to, as to how safe you feel. Had I come straight from Leeds, I probably wouldn't notice anything as I'd carry on the same as I did there. Having spent six years in Singapore, where I could walk around the red light district in the middle of the night (I lived there, ok :D ) I admit I do at times feel uncomfortable - even in daylight.

I carry my bag across my body here, as I've seen most other women do that. I won't use the trains alone at night. There are some dark areas I won't walk past (I know they're saving the planet but, FFS, the occasional street light would be good).

Not sure if the risk is all in my head or not, as I don't live in any of the worst crime areas, but it doesn't hurt to take reasonable precautions wherever you are.

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

Last year my Mrs went out in the city and took the train back to Joondalup by herself. There were no guards on this train which was unusual and a huge fight broke out. She was terrified.

The area around the train station in the city is a magnet for scum at night and was very worried about my mrs being there on her own.

I once had some twunt throw a rock at me at Joondalup station, and this was in the afternoon, not at night.

I think an Asian travelling on his or her own would be much more vulnerable than an anglo.

My advice? get a car.

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

Thank you, everyone, for the experiences and tips. It is very helpful and I can visualize better what I can look forward to when I'm there. I take the safety in my country (also a big city but extremely safe) for granted and definitely need to be more street smart when I'm in Perth (or any other big city for that matter).

I noticed that Perth station is the interchange and I would definitely need to stopover to switch to the Joondalup line. Really worried about that, but I guess I need to experience that for myself next year to find out! ;)

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

:lol:

That could be almost true:p

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

It is already out - saw it on foxtel last year :)

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

God, I don't know where you people come from, but Dublin is like the OK Coral compared to Joondalup. No comparison. You just have to look at the headlines on a daily basis. They reported today on Perthnow that a bloke was hit would a bottle yesterday. I was shocked... that they would even report such a trivial event. Although I'm sure it wasn't trivial for the victim. In Dublin, you don't make the papers unless your pretty much dead.

Take it from me... Its heaven here.. in comparison to most European metro areas that I have been too. Just have some common sense and keep you wits about you. Don't be the weak animal to pack singles out.

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

I hear they stand the dead up in the bus shelters to make it look busy. :rofl:

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

They only reported it because it was the only thing that happened in Perth that day. ;)

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

ROFL!

Well that is a good sign. :D

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

On a more serious note, this was in the news today.

http://www.skynews.com.au/news/article.aspx?id=273634

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

Is it?

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

I think glassing is one of the lowest sorts of violence. Maybe because I had a friend back in the UK years ago who got glassed (for very little reason) but I think it's just nasty. One moment of drunken hot-headedness, a lifetime of scars - usually facial. :(

(lovelyshine, is it too late to change your plans to Sydney? ;) )

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

Geez. How about more cops patrolling? I would love to go out and drink once in a while without having to worry about someone throwing glass in my face.

Seasider: Then I might as well stay put wherever I am. :p I think I'm in love with boring Perth, without the crime of course.

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

Brain dead, but happy, even though they don't know it.

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

Try Mornington high street in Melbourne on a Friday or Saturday night - you will get better results:sneaky:

Re: Is Perth really that dangerous?
 

that makes a lot of sense actually, not just in peryth but sydney trains too
in the uk the trains are so damn expensive beyond belief, that only the law abiding(generally), money earning type people actually get on them
in oz a dole bludging criminal can easily afford regular train fares
on the streets however it's a different story
i don't see gangs of kids roaming the streets in oz looking for trouble, but in england the streets are infested with troublemakers