Personal safety is not just for vacation time... it's all-the-time.

On holiday, we are extremely conscious of the 'pick-pocket' potential when sandwiched in the crush of large crowds, for example, at Buckingham Palace during the Changing of the Guard, entering or leaving tube stations and crowded platforms, while listening to the chaps carrying-on at Hyde Park Speaker's Corner.

Not to be indelicate, we suggest avoiding the loo's or WC's (Don't call it a 'bath room' as someone might get the idea you actually want to take a bath!) at railway and tube stations.  Just as with any big city, London has occasionally had the odd thief staking out those locations.

While on the subject of theft, there does seem to be the odd ['occasional'] tendency for petty pilfering.  On our last holiday, we found that the daily newspapers (for which we had pre-paid) left out outside our hotel door had been nicked ['stolen'] five separate times.

On a bit more serious note...  both Britain and the United States have experienced terrorist attacks.  On one occasion we returned to our hotel after dinner to find all of the nearby streets awash in police cars and vans and Scotland Yard out in force.  Having enquired ['inquired'] of a local constable, we realized that - what with all the police presence - we were probably in the safest place we could have been at the time.  For our advice, please read the introduction on our Travel Alert page.

J J Bittenbinder (another link) wrote the book on safety.  It is titled, 'Tough Target:  A Street-Smart Guide to Staying Safe', ASIN 0762400900.  Although the book is currently out of print, searching for the title at amazon.com will get you to their page for ordering out of print books.

Kevin Coffey has appeared on The Oprah Show and is the author of "Traveler Beware! An Undercover Cop's Guide To Avoiding Pickpockets, Luggage Theft & Travel Scams".

Gavin de Becker has also shared his personal safety advice on The Oprah Show.

And, yes.  You can indeed watch The Oprah Show on the telly ['TV'] while you are in Britain.  The programme ['program'] is broadcast on RTE1, TV3, Living and Living Plus 1 channels.