safety

Overall, London is a very safe place. In most neighborhoods, you can amble without fear even in the middle of the night. I have never had a bad experience. Only yesterday, a small encounter confirmed the general civility of the place. A teenager was wheelie-ing down the sidewalk, heading down towards me. Seconds before the inevitable crash, he put his front wheel down, swerved around me and yelled a friendly, sorry, man.

On the other hand, London is highly dangerous for those involved with gangs or simply living in the wrong part of town. In south and north London, there are areas where stabbings, particularly among teenagers, are shockingly common. Although outrage erupts every time another innocent kid loses his life, the problem doesn't seem to be taken too seriously. The numbers increase regularly and without remit.

Three months ago, two French exchange students were stabbed in their flat in south east London and then burned. Both of them had come to study at Imperial for a semester, and one, Laurent, worked in my department, in a lab just two floors up. His lab mates, his friends and colleagues, found a nice way to honor his memory and keep his name alive.

Steve Matthews, the boss of the lab, entered a team to run the Royal Parks Half Marathon to raise money for Victim Support, a charity that helps people cope after being the victim of a crime. Nothing can bring the dead back to life, but helping those who survived a serious crime is an important cause and deserves support.

While I have contributed financially, I can unfortunately not join the contest. My legs have still not recovered completely from the suffering I put them through almost five months ago. As tomorrow is not about winning but being there and making a statement, I will be at the course, rooting for what are also my friends, making sure they don't give in to the temptation to relent and stop. With every breath they take and every sweat they break, they speak out for stronger action against knife crime and the hope that all neighborhoods in London might one day be as safe as the parks they run through.