As part of preparing for University, new students were encouraged to engage in a number of different activities. For CRI1009 Imagining Crime, students were invited to contribute a blog on the above topic. These blog entries mark the first piece of degree level writing that students engaged with as they started reading for their BA (Hons) Criminology. With the students’ agreement these thought provoking blogs have been brought together in a series which we will release over the next few weeks.

My opinion on whether the UK is a good place to live or not is based on who you are, where you live, your values and your main source of income.

While our country offers free health care and financial support to those in need, it also faces serious issues including crime, protests against the government and housing shortages. These problems raise public concern and impact various groups across society. Addressing these concerns is easier said than done.

From my perspective, some main factors that make a country “good” are free health care and education, equality, economic opportunities and fair wages, freedom of speech, human rights and low crime rates. These are qualities that exist in many countries, but rarely all in one.

So, is the UK a good place to live?

I feel that it depends on what part of the UK you live in. I believe that the north of the UK has a lot of good qualities, that I mentioned previously, that are lacking in the south. One of the best places in the UK to live is Northern Ireland which, prioritises human rights, economic opportunities, free health care and education as well as equality. Despite these positives, there is still significantly unfair wages found as well as high hardcore drug use.

In recent months, there have been many protests in the southern region of the UK, focused on issues like immigration, housing shortages and Keir Starmer not recognising the Palestine state. These protests have caused significant disruption for both the police force and political parties, as these protests have shown they will not stop until something is done about these issues. Not only does this waste police time and cause friction in parliament, but it affects everyday people from getting to work to accessing basic essentials.

Crime is another key factor that makes the UK a difficult place to live. Crimes such as gang violence, knife crime, sexual assault, drug use and theft are some of the top crimes committed in the UK, making many women feel unsafe whilst walking alone at night and causing a lot of young men to become victims of violence or are drawn into crime themselves.

Overall, where you live in the UK plays a huge role in shaping your quality of life. As someone who lives in the south of the UK and has visited the north, I can honestly say that the north is far more appealing, to the point where I would like to move to Northern Ireland in the future. The UK can also be a difficult place for immigrants to live, due frequent protests against them. Not only is it difficult for immigrants, but it is also getting increasingly hard for young people as work is getting challenging to find in our country. Many of us are left unemployed and unable to save for a car, a hour or even general daily expenses, something that I have experienced personally.  

Despite all of this, I think that being able to understand crime, inequality and justice for all will help shape better societies. In the end, whether the UK is a good place to live depends on your situation, but there’s definitely room for change.