‘We’re actually victims in our own cities,’ a mother said after recent crime made her too afraid to visit parks with her children

A Glasgow mother says fear over recent crime has changed the way she watches her children in public, describing herself as constantly on edge whenever they are out of her sight, as reported by the Daily Dot. Her video was shared on X by @KieraDiss and quickly sparked debate about policing and crime across Scotland.

Before heading out with her children, she now scans both directions out of habit and grows uneasy the instant they are not in her direct line of sight. “Surely I’m not the only one in Glasgow right now that, when you’re looking outside, you’re literally looking left and right,” she said. “My two young girls… I can’t even go out my front door without being worried that something’s going to happen.”

An evening walk she had planned was called off after she says the park her family normally visits had ties to a recent attack, though this could not be independently verified. She said learning that a suspect connected to the alleged attack had been granted bail was what ultimately made her decide against returning to the park with her kids. “I’m not going to walk up to the park,” she said. “We’re actually victims in our own cities… because the streets are just not safe enough. That is sickening.”

She’s calling for people to speak up

She encouraged others to attend protests calling for greater protection for women and children, while admitting she was unsure whether authorities would respond to those calls. Similar frustrations have surfaced elsewhere online, including a viral clip of a woman confronting a man over immigration.

Many users responded with similar concerns about public safety in Glasgow. Others shifted the conversation toward Scottish First Minister John Swinney and immigration policy, with several calling for protests or stricter immigration controls. According to the Scottish Government’s own Recorded Crime in Scotland 2025-26 bulletin, Glasgow City recorded 52,406 total crimes in 2024-25, a 4 percent increase from the year before and the highest volume of any local authority in the country.

The city’s overall crime rate of 829 crimes per 10,000 people is well above the Scottish national average. Sexual crimes have also risen sharply, with rape and attempted rape cases reaching a decade-high of 494 recorded incidents, a 32 percent increase year on year. At the same time, homicides across Scotland fell to their lowest level since 1976, with Glasgow specifically seeing a 66 percent drop in homicides since the mid-2000s.

The city has dealt with a string of reported sexual assaults in recent weeks, alongside public demonstrations connected to those cases. Police have said misinformation circulating online has fueled protests across multiple neighborhoods, in some cases leading to innocent people being wrongly targeted based on unverified claims shared on social media.

Authorities have urged residents to verify information before acting on anything circulating online, warning that false reports have already resulted in people being targeted without cause.