00:00A Bridgerton actress has left London citing fears for her personal safety after her phone was stolen in a violent incident earlier this year.
00:13Genevieve Cheneur, 27 years old, said that the theft during which she was threatened with being stabbed left her traumatised and unable to feel safe in the capital.
00:25The robbery occurred at a Joe and the Juice on Kensington High Street on the 8th of February.
00:32Cheneur said in a recent interview that although a video of the incident circulating online showed only a brief and relatively subdued clip, it did not reflect the severity of the encounter or the trauma it's caused her.
00:47She explained that since the theft, she has suffered from recurring nightmares, often waking up mid-dream as she relives the moment, fearing that she would be attacked.
00:58Now her assailant, 18-year-old Zachariah Buleres, was sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court earlier this month to 22 months in prison after pleading guilty to common assault and three counts of theft.
01:13Cheneur's story reflects a broader trend of rising street crime in the capital.
01:20According to the MetPlease data, London recorded over 80,000 mobile phone thefts in 2024, a 20% rise from the previous year.
01:29But how safe are Londoners really feeling in the capital?
01:33Well, I personally feel very safe, but I suspect I'm not out at night.
01:37I'm not a sort of high-risk group, so I have no worries.
01:41But I appreciate, of course, that for other people it's a big issue.
01:45Relatively safe, but I'm aware that violence is getting worse.
01:49Whether it be gun crime, knife crime, general crime, seems to be getting worse.
01:54So I'm slightly concerned on the rise of that.
01:57Oh yeah, very safe.
01:58Yeah?
01:59Very safe.
01:59I'm from America, so I think almost anywhere feels safer in a way.
02:05I think there needs to be more police presence on the streets, walking the streets, community police officers, more awareness of them.
02:17Youth centres, it's all about the youth at times.
02:21But yeah, more youth centres can be done, more for the young.
02:25But the young have to engage themselves.
02:28When we talk about young, we talk about teenagers.
02:30They're quite active, going out, hanging around on the streets.
02:33They're quite active, finding things to do for themselves.
02:37You know, they're quite, youth today are intelligent kids, youngsters.
02:42So they have to take responsibility for themselves as well.
02:46It's not just a government.
02:48The youngsters have to take and be aware of their own surroundings, where they are impacted on their own communities.
02:57And they're really
03:17And they are attentive to their own within the park.
