Anyone who lives within 50 miles of Crawley will be aware of its somewhat undesirable reputation. As a Surrey boy, I was less than impressed when a career move and a new relationship led to me having to rent a flat in the centre of town. Now, as I prepare to move on after around 18 months, I can categorically state that this town is an utter, utter hole – far worse than i ever imagined.
There are of course numerous articles on here outlining Crawley’s population, so i have little to add on that front. All I’ll say is that there are plenty of mobility scooters, betting shops and a troupe of homeless junkies – far more than can be expected in what should be an affluent town. Crawley is basically one big council estate – make of that what you will.
I did however notice, that several people commented claiming Crawley ‘wasn’t that bad’ and was victim of an undeserved reputation. Now I genuinely believe that this could be potentially dangerous, if anyone considering moving here took it as genuine comment. So I will simply list what I’ve witnessed and allow readers to judge for themselves – everything I list is easily verified with a quick Google search.
I started a new relationship and began visiting Crawley for a year or more before I moved here. In that time, a man was attacked with acid in the cinema car park, another man was raped – in broad daylight – in one of the parks, there were numerous serious assaults and countless other fairly despicable incidents.
Since I have moved in, I have witnessed the Superdrug have its windows smashed and be robbed on no less than three occasions – one of which was on Christmas day. I have seen 4 people collapse on the street, for various reasons, often inebriated. i have called the police for petty crimes such as drug dealing, vandalism and domestic violence on no less than 5 occasions. Doesn’t sound so bad? All of this was witnessed from my window! My GF has also been followed on numerous occasions, leading to me having to escort her to and from the bus stop.
Further afield, a man in his 50s was stabbed to death in a nearby park – again in broad daylight. A guy was beaten to death outside a bar in the town centre, a woman bludgeoned to death on her birthday, a woman burnt to death in her home – being treated as murder, and a man in a shop mobility died just this week having been robbed by three men – again, in broad daylight. I have lived here for a year. One year and all of this has occurred – feel free to verify, June 2017 – July 2018.
I can categorically state that Crawley is one of the worst towns I have ever seen.
It has two redeeming features – many of the buskers are quite talented and the cinema is actually good – acid attacks aside.
Put bluntly, if you value your life and know the difference between Asda and Waitrose, then you will not be able to endure this hellhole.
