European Crime and Safety Survey
A European consortium has conducted a sample survey among inhabitants of the European Union about their experiences with crime and law enforcement. The survey was carried out in the 15 old member states of the Union plus Poland, Hungary and Estonia. Key results indicate that levels of common crimes such as burglaries, thefts, robberies and assaults have decreased significantly over the past ten years everywhere in the Union, with the possible exceptions of Belgium and Ireland.The UK, however, remains a relatively high-crime country when compared to the EU average, according to the report.
Title: The burden of crime in the EU : A comparitive analysis of the European Crime and Safety Survey (EU ICS) 2005
Authors: Jan van Dijk, Robert Manchin, John van Kesteren, Sami Nevala, Gergely Hideg
Number of pages: 108
Date published: January 2007
Availability: Download full report 
PDF 1.13Mb
Background
The European Crime & Safety Survey (EU ICS) - compares levels of crime across the EU - including the old 15 member states of the EU, Estonia, Poland & Hungary, followed up with surveys in Bulgaria, Croatia, Turkey. It analyses how citizens feel about their safety and reports citizens' concerns. It is the most comprehensive analysis of crime, security and safety ever conducted in the EU. It permits follow-up comparisons with the International Crime Victim Surveys (ICVS), conducted from 1989 to 2000
Method
41,776 Europeans, interviewed in 2005, reported about their crime experience from 2004. In each country the sample consisted of a national sample of 1,200 persons of at least 15 years of age. A booster sample of 800 in each capital city made it possible to create comparative measures for major European urban areas. Interviews were conducted over the telephone (CATI, fixed lines), on a random sample of persons in each country.
Main findings
Levels of common crime have fallen in the EU over past 10 years:
- Crime hotspots are the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands and Denmark
- Hate crimes are particularly prevalent in the EU’s immigrant communities
- 30% of EU citizens do not feel safe on the streets
- Rates of common crime peaked, at 21%, in 1995
- 15% of EU citizens have been a victim of common crime in 2004 / 2005
- There is hardly any relation between the EU ICS data and police recorded crime figures
Hotspot country profiles
- Ireland
- the greatest prevalence of sexual crimes and robberies in the EU, but the police performance is highly rated - UK
– one of the EU’s most protected countries (security alarms), with common crime way above the average - Denmark
– a high crime country but the population rates its police force as number 2 in the EU - Netherlands
– assaults and hate crimes are high but there’s little concern on the streets
Police ratings
- Overall, improved performance ratings except for those of the UK, the Netherlands and France.
- Countries representative of the newer Member States have low (comparative) performance ratings
- Many interviewees (between 30% and 60%) did not report crime / incidents to the police
- the main reasons for not reporting were given as a lack of concern or that the interviewees solved the problem themselves
- property crime is far more likely to be reported than contact crime
Burglary
- Burglary is decreasing everywhere except for the UK and Finland
- The level of self-protection (alarms, special locks, etc.) has risen considerably in the past 10 years, especially in the UK and Ireland.
- There is less concern now about burglaries, with less than one-third worried
- 34% of those who have alarms are concerned about burglary, whereas only 28% who do not have alarms are concerned
Hate crime
Hate crimes are particularly prevalent in immigrant communities
- 10% chance of being targeted – higher amongst immigrants who feel themselves to be religious (12%)
- Immigrants are more liable to be victims of common crime – 20% as opposed to 15% for non-immigrants
- Within the Benelux, all countries have hate crimes above the EU average – all three countries rated in the top six of the EU member states
Getting a copy
You can download a copy of the full report PDF 1.13Mb from the EUICS website.
Last update: Thursday, February 08, 2007