CITIES : Crime Knows No Boundaries

For most city dwellers, experiencing crime has become a part of life, according to a new survey that puts the English-speaking countries at the top of the list in a whole range of crimes.

The survey, involving 55,000 respondents in 20 industrialized nations, shows that as many as 25% to 30% of the population have been victims of one of 11 crimes in the United States, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia and Poland.

Some 20% to 25% of the residents of England, Czechoslovakia, Italy, Spain, Germany and Sweden have been subjected at least once to criminality; while the ratio runs from 15% to 20% in France, Scotland, Belgium, Finland, Norway and Switzerland.

The luckiest citizens are those of Northern Ireland and Japan, only 15% of whom have been victims of the most common crimes.

“With the most obvious exceptions of Japan and Switzerland,” concludes the report, “all industrialized countries suffer from an appreciable level of property and aggressive crime. For the public, being a victim of crime has become a common feature of life in most urban areas.”

Among the countries, the English-speaking nations have generally topped the crime league, with twice as many per-capita offenses--drawn from a range of 11 representative crimes--registered in the United States, England and Australia as in France or Germany.

The report, called “Criminal Victimization in the Industrialized World,” was compiled by the Dutch Ministry of Justice with the aid of the other respondent nations in surveys taken in 1989 and 1992.

Some of the findings:

* Sexual Offenses--”Women reported sexual incidents most often in Australia, Canada and the United States. In Western Europe, risks were highest in West Germany and Poland: between 3% and 6% of women reported sexual incidents.”

* Robbery--”Robbery was relatively uncommon, but those most likely to fall victim lived in Spain, Poland, the United States and Italy. More incidents in Spain involved offenders with knives, and more incidents in Italy and in the United States, in particular, involved guns.”

* Assaults/Threats--”Risks of assaults and frightening threats were highest in New Zealand, the United States, Australia, Canada and Poland: between 4% and 6% had been victimized. In just half of cases, the assaults had actually involved force.”

* Burglary--”Burglars got into homes most often in New Zealand, Czechoslovakia, Australia and the United States: about 4% were victimized. Comparatively low rates were found in more rural countries: Northern Ireland, Switzerland, Norway and Finland.”

* Pickpocketing--”Generally, pickpocketing is more common in Europe, though with variations between European countries. Risks were highest in Poland (about 6% victimized), Czechoslovakia and Spain (about 3%), Italy, France and the Netherlands (about 2%).”

* Fear of Crime--”People were most worried about the possibility of being burgled in New Zealand, Australia, England, Czechoslovakia and the United States--countries with comparatively high risks.

“People took precautions to avoid street crime when they went out in the evening most often in Italy, Czechoslovakia, Poland, the United States, Germany and England.”

* Attitudes Toward Punishment--”Support for imprisonment for a 21-year-old recidivist burglar was highest in Czechoslovakia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia--while more people chose community service for the same criminal in Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and France.”

All in all, the report found that national levels of crime are generally linked to levels of urbanization, with Japan the exception, and that property crime is connected to levels of affluence--”the downside of economic prosperity.”

And the report concluded: “Being a victim of crime is by no means uncommon, and the survey dismisses the idea that high crime rates are unique. National populations would be wrong to think that crime is only their problem.”