Look - the woman is talking at least a little bit of sense. Maybe that is her failing as a politician.

I am a 6ft+ male on the large side of being a big bloke. I would not feel "safe" walking alone on any street anywhere at midnight. Mayfair, Peckham, Madrid or Paris - not anywhere!. "Alone", "Midnight", "Outdoors" and "Safe" are not words that have ever belonged in the same sentence regardless of the colour of the government and to pretend that they have is just unrealistic.

As long as we are unable to react realistically to what they say how can we ever expect politicians to behave realistically when they are saying it.

Ian Barley, Farnborough, UK

Don't ever expect NuLabour to spend taxes where they are needed. That's old hat!

There isn't a single government Minister who really knows what is going on in the country, let alone London. They claim to be informed but are chauffer driven, so don't experience London's transport, use private health schemes if sick or are involved in an accident, such as breaking a nail and have no idea of A & E hospital requirement for mere mortals. They use lanes on motorways forbidden to anyone outside of the House of Commons as if it was a God given right.

They send their children to private schools whilst ridiculing private schooling for others. They have police protection whereas everyone else walks the streets whilst having to look over their shoulder for the mugger looking for his next fix.

NuLabour is a disgrace to the country but they believe they have an right to tell everyone what they should do as long as they don't have to do it themselves.

There's no way back now for anyone.

Barry Verona, Montreal, ex-pat from Ilford, Canada

I was applalled at some comments made by ordinary people living and working in this great city of ours ie London yesterday when they said the HS JS was wrong in making the comments regarding safety issues on the the streets of London!!

I agree with her 190 per cent. She is completely correct in what she says about our streets. Our street in London have become so unsafe that is is so frightening to walk on some of them even in the day time especially if they happen to be isolated ones! What has become of our wonderful charming City of London only God can answer this question. I have lost faith in our politicians and people at large. As an individual I feel deep down that it is the responsibility of the great people of the great City like ours' to keep its streets safe and enjoyable not only for ourselves but also for our precious children and their children's children. It's appalling for someone

I am totally shocked to find what has happened to this 8th wonder of the the world.

Anoopa, Bristol, UK

I have just lost what I said!

Jill, Bristol,

Dear me! Do we have yet another incompetent Government Minister? Good job incompetence doesn't seem to disqualify one for high office, or there might not be any Ministers left. Perhaps this lady is just afraid of the dark.

Neil, Gloucestershire, England

Jacqui

I thought that it was your job to make the streets safe for people-------GET A GRIP--------SHAPE UP OR SHIP OUT as the expression is

Adrian Pratt, Romsey, Hampshire

My wife and I visited your fine city of London last year and we felt very safe walking the streets at night. Maybe we were foolish and uninformed but we would not do that in our city.

We noticed a lot of police walking and felt very safe.

Bob from Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana / US

Any kind of crime - especially against the person, is not acceptable - so stop all this rubbish of percentages..etc. Put the police back on the street on patrol, as well as in cars. Give them body armour, and arms if needed. Certainly gas and proper nightsticks, as a minimum Put all the paperwork down the toilets, and make coppers proper policemen and women again.
Probably remand homes for young toughs will be needed also.
Its the responsibility of the present Governent to keep law and order, and its their first responsibility, so they should wake up now.

Martin Burns, Prayssac, France

I don't believe that "crime is down".

Robert, Luton,

So if I want to go out at night will I be given a police escort?
Some chance!
No wonder people are joining the vigilantes!

David Simpson, Heckmondwile, Yorks,

There will be no reduction in crime in Inner London until the drugs trade is properly tackled. This is unlikely in the current climate when junkie "celebrities" are continually lionised in the media and "rehab" is a badge of honour. Gangs shoot each other to control the trade and junkies rob the rest of us for their next fix. The ultra-liberal judiciary of this country have become a sad joke among ordinary citizens.

Janet, London ,

She might have bought a kebab in Peckham, but did her police minders have one too?

The statement is just another pathetic attempt to spin NuLab out of another tight spot.

Patrick, Newcastle upon Tyne,

Chris Huhne finds it “astonishing" that the home secretary admits that parts of "our capital is a no-go area for women at night.” Is that because he's surprised to hear a politician telling the truth or because he's too naive to know what's going on outside of the cosseted world of Westminster?
The reality is that this is just another example of our hypocritical politicians (from all parties) making political capital rather than acknowledging that there is a problem and giving our police the mandate to tackle offenders. It's time to reclaim the streets - but for the good guys.

Jim, Horsham,

They really are an adornment, aren't they, Labour women?

First Hewitt, firebrand of the left, picks up £100K working for private hospitals, and now this.

B Wood, London,

After nearly eleven years, of ' Tough on crime, tough on trhe causes of crime', countless billions of taxpayers' money spent countering 'inner city deprivation' and tackling social inequality, The Home Secretary tells us what we all know, viz. the streets of our cities are very dangerous places and should be avoided if possible.
Oh, but she did buy a kebab recently and has survived to tell the tale. Marvellous !

Richard, London, England

I know several areas around Birmingham where I wouldnt walk in the daytime, never mind at night. If shoplifting and a whole host of other offences were still counted as crimes along with over one million motoring offences each day she would not be able to say 'crime has fallen'. In my time I have been a part time doorman and a debt collector which I fitted in with lorry driving. Then I became a hackney carriage owner driver and fitted in ferrying stars around the city when they were appearing at such place as the 'Night Out'. I never felt intimidated at any time during my working life. All catagories of crime, the standard of driving and the morass of social and economic decadence that we are now facing is disgraceful and when an M.Ps. tells us that things are going well, they must think we are all morons.

T.G., Birmingham, England

So far, I have read just two articles, this and that concerning the MV Napoli and Branscombe beach - the common theme being hyper-greed and total lack of respect for others. Edwin is right, it has nothing to do with deprivation.

The lady should ask herself what has brought this about (clue: absence of moral compasses in the home), and why record numbers of people are leaving Britain for other shores.

Terry Hawker, L'Absie, France

This is the country her government has created, live with it as we have to. In ten years they have damaged the UK beyond repair i think, unless the comatose British wake up.

Samantha Jones, Bucks, England

Terry, London, UK

I was not aware that London was this bad

Tim, USA,

Andy Murray, London, UK

If you are a Police Officer as you stated take some advice from a retired Police Officer, before you publish your thoughts do a spell check.

keithw, Wirral, UK

And this is a suprise?
A feral society exploited by a feral government, who seems to think its job is to tax society's problems,, and avoid taking responsibility for the social contract.

DavidintheUK, London, UK

...Hope she enjoyed that kebab in Beckham (sorry...Peckham). Or will she get her knuckles rapped over that - perhaps by one of the many 'Look At Me' chefs in the days to come?

Honora Raftery, BELFAST, Co. Antrim

I don't walk anywhere alone after dark. London, or countryside.

Rebecca, London,

To those insinuating that if the UK returned to a white Anglo Saxon monoculture all would be fine -would you at the same time get rid of the football hooligans or young (nearly universally white/lobster red) holidaymakers who shame our country every summer around the Mediterranean?

Alex, London,

Perhaps Gordon Bean will declare her to to be incompetent in that she is afraid of the dark and of meeting ordinary people while in inner city areas, but still enjoys his full confidence!!

Neil, Gloucestershire, England

How gullible does this silly bint think we are? Nu Labour=Old Communists.The sooner the whole corrupt and treacherous bunch of them are swept from holding any form of power, the better. For heavens sake vote BNP.

paul, London, UK

Best she doesn't go out at night - she frightens the horses in daylight.

James, London,

Maybe she would feel safer if she carried a knife.

Paul, London,

If you've ever been to Redditch, I think it would be a lot safer to walk around the more affluent areas of London or even Hackney than say Woodrow after dark. I'm not sure she's been walking around the same Redditch as me.

N. English, Redditch,

I am a police officer,

I have 26 years experiance most of it in south east london.

The Home Secretary has admitted her fear but police still walk all the streets of London.

The 'Plastics' have had their wage rise but remember when they (2 of them) didn't help a drowning person weeks later a police officer jumped into a swollen river to rescue a person drowning - that is the differance between police and others.

Either support you local police and remember we are not responcible for prosecutions or sentences (see CPS and judges for that) or fear the repercusions of trendy liberals.

Ultimately the police service (sic) you get is the one you deserve, tell your MP's that you want more recognised powers to protect yourselves and your homes and not be victims twice over. Also powers should be made available to protect witnesses and protect their identity prior to trial.

ECHR should be revoked it was put in place to protect people from despots like Hilter not everyday life.

Andy Murray, London, UK

I live near Peckham and in the 60s we could park outside the Coop and buy cigarettes from a machine bolted to the wall of a sweetshop. Peckham is now described as "deprived" is it? I thought the Nulabour term for it was "enriched".

M Young, London, UK

"My right hand carries a small, innocous looking flashlight that can instantly blind any assailants for several minutes with its high intensity light beam - or I can use its specially designed front and back ends to inflict immediate, potent physical damage on any attacker foolish enough to get too close.

Who needs police? Not me."

It all sounds very impressive, Terry, but have you ever had to put your system to use? Not that I'm denying the dangers of London's streets (I constantly feel pretty scared after dark, wherever I may be). I'm just wondering if your confidence might be misplaced.

Phil, London, UK

I don't think being afraid of going out in th dark in some part of London is anything new. I had a friend from Peckam 24 years ago who worked in the West End. Every night in winter she would get her dad to meet her from the bus stop when she got home. She said way back then Peckham was not safe.

Linda, Fife,

Terry is a fool.

Nobody is well-equipped to take on a violent mugger except somebody with the same mind-set.

The reality is that the streets are far less safe than they were 10 or 20 years ago. That is why I moved to Romania (fortunately with a UK income) where I not only feel safe, but I am safe.

London is now, I believe, the crime capital of the world - and well deserves that reputation

Nick Wall, Galati, Romania

When I go out power walking in North London every night I am always fully prepared for war, mentally and physically. This involves me regularly 'radar sweeping' for several hundred yards around me. Forewarned is forearmed.

My 'weapons' are all entirely legal. One is my mobile phone, which I carry in my left hand so that I can immediately raise it to my ear and pretend to speak into it, thereby signaling to any approaching group that I am already telling someone about my situation and location even before anything happens.

My right hand carries a small, innocous looking flashlight that can instantly blind any assailants for several minutes with its high intensity light beam - or I can use its specially designed front and back ends to inflict immediate, potent physical damage on any attacker foolish enough to get too close.

Who needs police? Not me.

Terry, London, UK

Guys, do me a favour. In the next general elections, get ride of people like Jacqui Smith.
Thanks in advance.

riccardo, brussels,

I lived in Peckham in the mid 60s when I was a student. It was OK then, rough but anyone could walk the streets at night. Through years of Tory and Labour mis-rule we have what we have today. I wish to reclaim the streets among many other matters and I vote BNP at any opportunity.

Brian Cosworth, Banbury, England

Recognising a problem is a first step to fixing it--at least she did not quote some Govt. stats.that disprove anything unpalatble.

R James, Clifton, UK

"Serious violence is something we must address"Spoken like a true member of the elite,how good of her to think of us,if only in passing.The person with the reins in her hands but disconnected from the bit.

robert everitt, wolverhampton,

I'm white and I walked through Brixton, on my own, at midnight, when I lived in London. I was told that the black people would beat me up. They never did. They did speak to me though.

Bill, Belfast, N.I.

What kind of kebab did she buy? I think we should be told. I expect it was a donor, so that she could get out quick. After all, you wouldn't want to be hanging around for shish in Peckham.

Steve, Clapham,

We might all be brainwashed into thinking daily knivings, muggings, and gang-rapes are normal in our more 'enriched' urban areas, but some of us have seen how things are in other countries.

In monocultural Japan for example. Women can go home safely at any hour and drunks can safely roll around in the gutters and still have their wallets in the morning. The conditions in Britain and especially London are abnormal and UNACCEPTABLE!

Karl Baxter, Kentish Town,

Judy, Judy, Judy, will you please cut the woman some slack? She has after all admitted to having bought a kebab, in Peckham, and at night no less!! This surely must count for something does it not? She has been forced to humiliate herself by dragging herself down to the level of the common folk who need to walk the streets after dark, what more do you want from her???

Like all good socialist everywhere - she freely admits to feeling your pain, and that should be enough, should it not???

Peter, Vancouver, Canada

I did not realise she was scared of the dark.

mj barry, London, UK

I live with my family in Bucharest; one of the poorest and supposedly, most deprived cities in Europe yet I have no qualms about my wife walking home late at night. Yet teenagers are murdered in London in broad daylight. The angle of the sun matters nothing in Britain these days.

Perhaps that is the difference between deprived and depraved.

Edwin, Bucharest,

What's this falling crime? Is it the manipulated crime figures that now make, say, vandalism to your car an 'occurrence', which naturally isn't counted as a crime statistic? How stupid does this woman think we are? I don't believe a word of it.

Judy , Liverpool, england