I'm not sure any town or city center is rougher these days but one thing I have noticed about the more younger crowd here in Nottingham is they like a good glare and threats especially when there is a number of them above 4,I'm guessing this makes them a crew or something and there doesn't appear to a reason behind it other that some kind of group intimidation.
When out a few weeks ago there was 4 of us all in our 40s and a mate of ours is only a small bloke about 5'5 and not much on him, he's walking in front about 10 yards between pubs and gets the glare of a said crew of 5 or 6 who I'd say are about late teens early 20s and then gets a "what you looking at" off one of them for no reason. By this time I was along side them and asked if they had any problem with our mate and got a sheepish reply of "no mate no mate" from the one who asked my mate. To be honest I replied by saying you best fuck off then which was a bit daft but I could tell nothing was going to happen and they did what I thought moved on with their arms swinging and jeans falling down their arses and the mouthey one most likely saying how they was going to do me or something. I'm not guessing they now didn't fancy their chances and did nothing because my two other mates and me are of the big bald ugly variety and not 5'6. It was only about 8 and they didn't appear drunk and to me obviously just looking for trouble or trying to act intimidating but then not following it through when the numbers not stacked in their favour or more likely size and intimidation factor,which says everything about them really.
Now when I was that age I was brash, stupid most likely a bit rude at times but I can't remember a time when me or any of my equally stupid mates have done something like that for no reason. This isn't a one off you see it in town quite often and like above it will be a group 5 or above and their wanted opponent will often be 1 max 2 and nothing really happens aprt from the itimidation thing and for the life of me I just can't think what they could possibly get out of it.
Now this might only a be Nottingham thing and you have a much more refined group of younger scrotes in Manchester who smile as you go by and wish you a nice evening. Now before anyone jumps in I do know this is only a small minority of the youth of today and most are going out having a great time getting pissed, having a dance, a kebab and hopefully a blow job at the end of the night.
It goes without saying my actions might have got me shot for that 15 years ago when we got renamed Shottingham, ok a bit of a overstatement there. Thankfully the guns have been cleared up a bit and you are more likely to be glared at and threatened when outnumbered so I'd say it's calmed down a little here in Nottingham on the serious violence and gun side of things after a crack down on known local villans and gun crime in general, for which you have to give the local police some deserved credit.We still get the odd gun crime but not in the numbers of the Shottingham years when hearing reports of gun shots on some estates was the norm and weekly O.K Corral style shootouts were not uncommon.
So Nottingham is a much safer place than 15-20 years ago if you can walk around and don't get or unlike me ignore the threatening stares from the odd scrote style crews.