I Investigate The Most Dangerous City in The Region

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In this documentary I visit the city of Plymouth in the county of Devon, to investigate a staggering report released about the rise in crime across Plymouth. Within this report Plymouth was revealed as one of the most dangerous places to live in the region. With the area having the highest rise in crime across every police force in the UK. Within this report it stated that a shocking 1 in 10 residents were victim of a crime in the last year and that Plymouth has become a UK weapons hotspot with more charges in the city centre than almost anywhere in the country!

This has led to a flood of negative media attention with shocking headlines such as:

Locals carry machetes in once-thriving seaside city:
https://pressway.org.uk/news/227450-localc_carry_machetes_amp_druggies_shoot_up_in_shops_in_once-thriving_seaside_town

Plymouth city centre named as ‘weapons hotspot’ More weapons offences were recorded in the city centre last year than nearly anywhere else in the country:
https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/plymouth-news/plymouth-city-centre-named-weapons-10196801

Plymouth is one of the ‘most dangerous’ places to live in South West:
https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/plymouth-news/plymouth-one-most-dangerous-places-10373903

In this True Crime Documentary I investigate how much truth there is behind the shocking statistics and investigate how the fortunes of this City have changed so dramatically.

#uk #crime #britain #poverty #england #reallife #documentary

Today I’m in the city of Plymouth in the county of Devon. Recently revealed as one of the most dangerous places to live in the region with the area having the highest rising crime across every police force in the UK. Within this report, it stated that a shocking 1 in 10 residents were victim of a crime in the last year and that Plymouth has become a UK weapons hot spot with more charges in the city center than almost anywhere else in the country. This has led to headlines such as locals carry machetes and druggies shoot up in shops. Today we find out how much truth there is behind the headlines. In this town has caused me to cry tears of hunger or stress. Well, I’ve now arrived in Plymouth City Center and within seconds of stepping off the train and coming outside of the train station, there’s a homeless encampment underneath a car park ramp. There goes some cardboard laid out the tiny little pillow. That’s a tragic sight. Within literally seconds of getting off the train, is it a sign of things to come? So, I’m now approaching Union Street, which is one of the more infamous streets here in Plymouth, should we say. Some of the statistics for violence, homelessness, substance abuse are at the highest here on this street. Look like that one’s closed down. Someone’s camp there. [Music] Wow, that one’s literally falling apart. Looks like it’s had a fire inside it. And that one looks like it’s been closed for a long time. Oh, what’s this say? 6,748 square m of land is standing empty on this street. On average, there are 595 people nearby, unemployed, and looking for work. Well, that’s some statistics for you. I am looking around and there is a ton of closed down, battered buildings here on Union Street. Wow. This might be the biggest of the abandoned buildings that we’ve come across in Plymouth so far. You can see all of the doors and windows are all boarded up. Absolutely battered that one, isn’t there? Wow. And just next to that massive abandoned building, we’ve got an abandoned pub, the Phoenix. the remnants of another homeless person’s night here, I guess. Up the top here, it’s called the Furkin Dog House. What a name. It looks as if that lady was out of tobacco and she was rifling around in the dog ends. In a recent report released by the Home Office, it stated that Plymouth is one of the most dangerous places to live in the region. Within this report, it revealed that one in 10 people from Plymouth were victim of a crime last year. You can see another camp here, duv out. Somebody’s suitcase there as well. It’s literally somebody’s life is just there on the side of the road. That’s so sad. There’s a suitcase there and that’s clearly got their worldly belongings in it and it’s just left on the side of the road. Again, more substance paraphernalia there. We’ve got part of a syringe. We’ve got part of the foil thing that they And then right next to it, we’ve got a pregnancy test. You’ve got loads of substance paraphernalia just lying about. And then right next to it, you got a pregnancy test. It’s got a lady there in front of me who’s clearly worse aware. Well, I don’t know if you caught that, but she had a nasty boil on her foot there that was open and seeping. So, I’ve now been joined by a resident of Plymouth. So, what can you tell me about life in Plymouth? It’s a lot of homeless digging and diving around. A lot of them struggle a lot here. You see a lot of them sat out, you know, in really bad ways, you know, needing those pounds and those coins, but sometimes it gets a bit darker. So, have you seen an increase in violence in Plymouth? Oh, god. Violence has always been around. So, at the moment, the security’s been out the last three or four days by the ones that drink on the street trying to clear him up and get him off, you know? Yeah. There’s a massive substance abuse issue. Yeah, there is. Yeah, it’s major drug use, isn’t there? Yeah. and a lot of um poison stuff and a lot of stuff people make up just to be able to do the ones over that they think they can do and find out they really mean you know seen that there’s a lot of fake gear going around in there fellas died off I had some chalk got some chalk for gear taste just like gear I don’t feel right mate I even feel like I need to go to that [ __ ] local hospital where everyone goes to injury unit tell a lot of people they struggle the struggle in this town has caused me to cry tears of hunger or stress of those pounds and coins of people’s lives that I would like to had to decrease in the way of leaving the invalid to drink and then go under the lot but a lot of them you know fake it 10 different you know what I mean a lot of them quite clever you know yeah we can we can confirm that there’s definitely um tainted gear in the town in the city lot of death yeah a lot of death lot of death from substance abuse and also there’s been a massive rise in home massive massive ship bless you right let me get you some drink there she goes what we got her a sandwich a salad pot bar ing to try and sort her out a bit today. She was uh clearly um not feeling 100% today, should we say. Anyway, there you go. We’ve tried to help her best we can. We’ll head back in now. Without sponsorships, these documentaries just wouldn’t be possible. So, a massive thank you to Mantisleep for sponsoring today’s video. You may remember last year I introduced you to the sponsor of today’s video, Mantisleep. Well, since then, the Manta Pro sleep mask has become a part of my nightly routine, and it’s definitely improved the quality of my sleep. Designed for the ultimate comfort, the Mantis Sleep Pro comes with fully adjustable straps for the perfect customized fit. And with its ultra soft, breathable fabric, you’ll feel the difference as soon as you put it on. My favorite features are the zero eye pressure 100% blackout eye cups and the fact it’s engineered for side sleepers. Plus, all of the Manta sleep masks come in a convenient carry case with a pair of foam earplugs. 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You can see all the paraphernalia there. You can see the syringe packets there. We’ve got a syringe needle there. Another one there. Both of which are uncapped. Certainly got to go steady where I’m walking around here. It’s literally covered in needles. I need to get out of there. Just a big pile of rubbish, mattress, and whatever else there right next to the main road. You can see the traffic there. Then you’ve got all of this. Loads of needles and syringe packets up there. Absolutely rank. Got a sleeping bag there. Wow. This is clearly a hot bed for substance abuse taking place in and around the city. absolutely rank. It’s not exactly closed off. Anybody could literally just walk in there and get stuck by a needle or whatever else is floating about the place. I mean, look at the state of all this area. Look at that. Got to go super careful where I’m standing. You can see. Look at the state of that. Again, loads of syringe packets in the corner. I’m absolutely blown away by the state of this place. It’s literally right on the main walkway from the high street. So again, hundreds and hundreds of people every day must walk past this little area. It’s another syringe pack there. Look at the state of all this. Got somebody’s dirty underpants hanging there. Absolutely rank. There’s loads of syringes. I’m being ultra careful where I’m stepping. That is the last thing that I want or anyone would want. Yeah. So, what can you tell me about this building, sir? You said it’s been um used to be beautiful. Used to be a registry office. Then they closed down a couple of years ago. Since then it’s just it’s t as hell. You got forunately there’s loads of homeless there. But which is a shame shame for them. But uh yeah and it got sold about a month ago. Say there’s loads of needles and there’s loads of needles. Yeah. Come here. It’s like I won’t let my wife come here. So I have to certain time because really but it’s just in case something might happen. That brings me to my next point actually. I don’t know if you’re aware, but within a report from the home office, Plymouth was revealed as one of the most dangerous places to live in the southwest. My hometown number two on that list. West. Yeah. Western Super May. Yes. So, it depends where what you’re used to. Subjective. Subjective for sure. Yeah. It’s it’s it’s just a shame that there aren’t the places for the homeless. Yeah. I was going to have you seen an increase then in the homeless population within Plymouth? No doubt. We get down on the oak quite a lot and um down there there’s always a couple sort of three or four bit gold, you know. It’s such a shame, but yeah. Don’t know. Don’t know what the answer is really. No, I don’t think I do. Get this place the council buy and give it to the homeless basically. But that’s too easy, isn’t it? Thank you ever so much. There you go. We’ve just heard it from a local. There does seem to be an increase in the homeless population. But one of the most worrying things about that area that we’ve just visited is the fact that it’s not fenced off. You can literally just walk into that. No problems at all. And we’re in a central area where loads of kids are playing. All it takes is an inquisitive child to walk into there to get pricricked by a needle and then god knows what’s going to happen. That’s the entrance. It’s just a small chain. Just step over it. I hate to ask guys, but it helps tremendously when you like, comment, and subscribe. By doing so, it lets YouTube know that you’ve enjoyed the video and it puts out to a wider audience, thereby bringing more attention to the issues that we’ve covered today. Thank you for your help. This area of Plymouth seems to have had a bit of a redevelopment. New paving stones down and all sorts. You can see the development works run as far as the eye can see all the way down this central portion. I recently read a report about Plymouth City Center and it turns out that there’s been more weapons charges here in Plymouth City Center than almost anywhere else in the country. It seems the weapons and knife crime statistics here at Plymouth are going through the roof. As you can see, the construction just continues all the way down. These little walkways have been sectioned out. A row of closed down shops here. Closed down. Closed down. Closed down. Once a bustling retail heart of the southwest, Plymouth City Center now tells a very different story. In just 5 years, over 120 shops have shut their doors. A staggering 40% of all retail units in the city center now sit abandoned. Many of the bigname stores are gone. Their empty shelves casting shadows over the streets that once bustled with life. Footfall has dropped by over 30% and local businesses are suffocating under the weight of rising rents, online competition, and economic uncertainty. Is this just the retail apocalypse? Or is Plymouth facing a deeper urban decline? You can see the premier’s open, but this one’s closed. The next one’s closed. The next one’s closed. You’ve got a takeaway. And then the next one’s closed. As you can see, all of these shops that I’m passing are closed down. I’m on one of the main side streets just off the high street here in Plymouth. And it’s like the whole place is shutting down. So, I’m now back on the main high street. As you can see, you can’t really see a lot because you got this big fence up on one side and then shops on the other side. Many of which are closed down. Closed down. And it continues. Well, it looks like it all opens up now at the bottom of the high street. Look at the size of this abandoned building. See, all the windows have been put through. It’s got a fence around the perimeter. I wonder what they’re doing with this building here. I’ve walked past so many abandoned buildings on my walk through Plymouth so far, and all that comes to my mind every time I pass one of these abandoned buildings is the fact that it could be repurposed to become a night shelter for the homeless folk here in Plymouth. And it’s become very clear there’s a huge population of homeless here on the streets of Plymouth. It was recently revealed Plymouth’s one of the most dangerous places to live in the southwest. It was revealed Plymouth City Center has more weapons charges than almost anywhere else in the country and there’s an overwhelming homeless and substance abuse crisis taking place here. I didn’t realize quite how much of a significant problem it clearly is for the city of Plymouth. In fact, just as I say that, there’s another tent. You can see the tent just behind me there. Literally, just as I was saying that, I walked past another tent. There you go. There’s the front entrance to that camp we just come across. Walking past, see someone’s chair set out. It’s the tent there. It’s another tent. That’s not even a proper tent. That’s like a beach shelter, that one. My goodness. I wouldn’t fancy staying in that overnight during the winter months. These poor folk. Absolutely awful. And it’s just right next to a main sitting area. See the folk walking past there. And the camp’s just in the bushes there. Another 30 seconds on from the last homeless encampment, there’s an even larger one just on the left hand side of the main road going into the city center. You can see one tent just there. And then you’ve got another just over here. And this is literally on the main road. So I’ve just been joined here by one of the homeless folk here on the um on the main roundabout coming into Plymouth. You’ve just told me you’ve been here for months. I have. Yeah. Yeah. Two months. Really? Yeah. Thousands of people must drive past you every single day. They do. Yeah. The council are working down in that bridge, but the council do see it, but they turn a blind eye. There you go. Really, man? You can see the tent there. But, you know, you can see it’s absolutely spotless. There’s no rubbish about people just go about their own business, you know, hanging his t-shirts out to dry as well. People like my man here brings a brings a baker and you know, brings a coffee in a in a bacon row every morning because I don’t see any anyone else helping the homeless. Bless you, mate. So he said it was freezing last night and I’ve got a room along there. And I said, “As long as I can get you off the ground, you’ll be a lot warmer.” So I went and got him a blowup mattress. I’m a recovering addict myself. I’ve been clean 3 years. Get on. And this lad, he’s an addict himself. But like what do you do when you’re living on the streets and you’ve got nothing? Do you vicious circle? It is. If people had a little bit of [ __ ] just a hand up in life and just a roof over the red, it would give such a people such a chance to you as well, mate. Thank you, mate. You can see the main road just behind me. Don’t tell me a council member doesn’t drive past this nearly every day and sees this. To see our people living like this in these conditions is a disgrace. And that’s just my opinion. So, I’ve now arrived in Central Park here in Plymouth City Center, reportedly home to a number of homeless encampments. Let’s have a wander through and see what we find. Instantly, within a minute of being inside the park, I’ve come across my first homeless encampment. Let’s take a look underneath the tree taking shelter. Somebody’s tent there. This is a prime example of the conditions that the homeless folk within Plymouth City Center are having to live in. A crappy old tent underneath a tree is the best option for them. You can see there the towels and the cans of alcohol thrown about the place and the tent. onwards. Now we’ll continue deeper into the park to see what we find. There you go. There’s the soundtrack of Plymouth in the background. Police cars just gone racing by with the sirens on. There seems to be another encampment just a few minutes walk away from the original one we just come across. Big blue threeman tent. This one does seem to be in slightly better nick than the last one. Can see that they’ve got a pile ready for a fire later on. And there’s the tent. And there’s the sleeping bag hanging in the tree drying out. With winter fast approaching, this is definitely a precarious situation to be in. I mean, the temperatures are going to soon drop. But is there anywhere for the homeless folk within Plymouth to actually go? That’s the question. It seems the reports about Central Park here in Plymouth were correct. Within literally 5 minutes of walking around, come across two homeless encampments. But there’s also numerous spots within the park that show obvious signs of substance abuse, paraphernalia, and whatnot lying about on the floor. So, it certainly seems the reports about the substance crisis here in Plymouth is correct as well. Honestly, I can’t quite believe the amount of homeless encampments that I’ve come across today. This documentary was not really supposed to be focused on that. However, the amounts that I’ve seen, it’s difficult not to bring it up, isn’t it? Well, it’s pretty clear to see there’s an obvious housing crisis ongoing here in Plymouth. And it’s not really surprising because over the last 5 years, the amount of social housing has dropped in Plymouth by 38%. That’s a significant decrease in the amount of affordable and social homes available. Plymouth unfortunately has the highest numbers of homelessness in the region. Last year it was reported that 880 people were homeless in Plymouth with 390 of those being children. Unfortunately, many of those children are languishing in temporary accommodation or B&Bs, things like that. Another massive abandoned building here, the money center. Next to it, it looks like Mambbo’s nightclub once upon a time. [Applause] And then just next to it, more remnants of homeless sleeping underneath that sheltered area there. You can see the sleeping bags and the clothes all thrown out. And that homeless encampment is right opposite the brand new shopping center here in Plymouth, Drake Circus. It’s almost unavoidable at this point. Literally at any given turn in Plymouth, you’ll come across homeless folk, homeless encampments, you name it. There certainly does seem to be an overwhelming issue with homelessness here in the city. I’ve got a Ghostbuster here on the streets of Plymouth. Ghostbusters. There you go, boss. I’ve noticed a lot of dressed up people. Oh yeah, Toby got lumber by the way. No idea. Well, I think I’m at the end of the high street now. And I will say the main high street in Plymouth is actually quite nice to be fair. Yes, there are a number of closed down shops, but on the whole quite nice visually. There’s a lot of fountains. There’s been a lot of redevelopment as well. So, it’s certainly making things look a lot cleaner, nicer, and more modern. I’m now approaching Plymouth Hoe, which is arguably one of the most beautiful spots within Plymouth. It’s an area that sits above the coastline with many statues and memorials. Got statues of Sir Francis Drake amongst many others. In fact, it’s reported that Sir Francis Drake actually stopped here for a game of bowls before going out to defeat the Spanish Armada. And also in 1620, the Mayflower ship set sail from Plymouth, filled with pilgrims, ready to depart to America, forever tying Plymouth and America together. And then just over there, another homeless tent. That has summed up my time in Plymouth so far. At any given turn, when you’re least expecting it, you might come across a homeless encampment. Here I am on Plymouth Ho. Arguably the most beautiful spot in the city. And then just to my side, we’ve got another homeless tent. Well, Plymouth Ho certainly doesn’t disappoint. Absolutely stunning. See hundreds of people out. Beautiful surroundings. Thanks for watching. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Please remember to like, comment, and subscribe. It really helps the channel grow. If you enjoyed this video, why not check out one of these? If you feel led, there’s an incredible charity in the city doing big things on a little budget. They’re in desperate need of help from the community. Help for the homeless, based on Union Street in Plymouth. As always, I’ll see you on the next