EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - “Burden of Crime” highest in Ireland, followed by the UK, Estonia, the Netherlands and Denmark

“Burden of Crime” highest in Ireland, followed by the UK, Estonia, the Netherlands and Denmark

05-02-2007

Ireland has the highest crime rate of eighteen EU countries, according to the EU International Crime & Safety Survey (EU ICS). The survey compared levels of crime and analysed the EU’s citizens’ views and concerns about crime in the EU-15 plus Estonia, Poland and Hungary. Apart from Belgium, which saw a rise of the number of crimes committed, the levels of common crime have fallen significantly over the past ten year in the researched countries.

Other interesting findings of the survey are:

Fifteen per cent of EU citizens surveyed (2004-05) have been a victim of common crime in 2004 - this compares with a peak figure of 21 per cent in 1995.
No relation has been identified between the rates of common crime identified during the survey and the actual numbers of crime recorded by the various police forces.
Hate crimes are particularly prevalent in immigrant communities (ten percent chance of being targeted) and even more so amongst immigrants who see themselves as religious (twelve per cent).

Following the International Crime Victim Surveys (ICVSs), conducted from 1989 to 2000, the EU ICS was the most comprehensive analysis of crime, security and safety ever conducted in the EU. It analysed levels of crime independent of actual police records.

For the first time, the analysis also included information concerning ‘hate crimes’ and an appreciation of drug-related problems.

The EU ICS is being conducted by a consortium, led by Gallup Europe in Brussels. The other members of the consortium are:

the United Nations Interregional Criminal Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) - Italy
Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Criminal Law - Germany
CEPS/INSTEAD - Luxembourg
GeoX - Hungary

Source: Gallup Europe

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