NCJ Number
133143
Date Published
Unknown
Length
9 pages
Annotation
Fifteen countries participated in this 1989 international crime survey which asked respondents about crime victimization and the police response.
Abstract
The survey was conducted by telephone using computer-assisted interviewing. Crimes included in the survey were car theft, car vandalism, motorcycle theft, bicycle theft, burglary and attempted burglary, robbery, personal theft, sexual incidents, and assault with force. Interview results demonstrated that the percentage of persons 16 years and over who had been victimized in the previous years at least once was relatively high in the United States, Canada, and Australia. European countries showing relatively high victimization rates were Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Germany. Moderately high victimization rates were found in Scotland, England and Wales, France, Belgium, and Greece. Relatively low rates occurred in Northern Ireland, Switzerland, Norway, and Finland, while Japan had the lowest victimization rate. In all countries, less than half of all victimizations were reported to the police. It was determined that police figures compiled by Interpol cannot be used for comparative purposes due to different reporting rates in the various countries. 5 tables and 1 figure