it has definitely got worse and isn’t media hype as 16 years ago I used to live in the same area a Jonnyquest and it wasn’t anywhere that bad –

yes there were gangs and racism (ends were divided into “white” and “black” areas and I lived on a frontline between those who were “multicultural” and BNP supporters, including a BNP postie what tried to start on me once) but I never got any major grief back then and I am not a big bloke