Fear of crime is also the problem

These days crime is one of the main social problems. Its qualitative and quantitative change has made it a major political issue. The problem for Greece is not crime but fear of crime, and its dangerous side effects, such as racism and xenophobia. Variations in official crime indicators are linked to people’s degree of willingness to report crimes and the authorities’ degree of readiness to take action. According to figures for European Union member states, Greeks appear to be the most insecure citizens of Europe, although Greece is still near the bottom of the list of actual crime indicators. This contrast is the result of an increase in petty crime indicators, combined with the exaggerated and often unethical emphasis on the part of some of the media and the lack of a visible police presence. (1) Angelos Tsigris is a lawyer with a doctorate in criminology.