What types of crime?
The ICS suggests significant variations between countries according to types of crime you risk becoming a victim of. England (closely followed by Italy) is the car crime capital of Europe, whereas (unsurprisingly perhaps) the Netherlands is top for bicycle theft. Spain is easily the highest risk location for robbery, whereas in Poland pick-pocketing is the most popular pastime. Poland also shares with the Czech Republic and West Germany, above average rates of sexual assaults. 2.5 – What about fear? Fear of crime is not necessarily linked to actual risk of victimisation. The British are twice as worried about crime as the Swiss, but they are not twice as likely to become victims. Balvig (1987) suggests that this disparity may be partly to do with the media’s coverage or neglect of crime as an issue. The Dutch have noted through their national crime surveys, that, although crime rates have been stabilised or falling in the Netherlands over the last few years, the fear of crime has gone
