Etudes par pays volume 2, PDF, 346 p., 1,4 Mo - Femise

11873_2002 Study D2: Poverty, Informal Sector, Health and Labour
and burglaries. Juvenile crime, which is an altogether different type of
crime, to some extent with different motives and modes of operation, has, in
recent years, increased greatly, especially in certain Athens neighbourhoods.
The overwhelming majority of these crimes are not however related to
drugs, despite their tremendous proliferation in these years.
Several measures have been taken for fighting crime in the past couple of
years, including legislation for improving courts efficiency, prison
infrastructure and management and providing for more stiffening penalties
for certain crimes. The police have been reorganized, better equipped with
modern technology and adopted new police practices for policing and
investigation. Many illegal immigrants have been legalized, which helps
them to be better integrated in the Greek economy and society, and by
implication, reduce their poverty and the tendency to commit crime. All
these measures seem to have contributed to the drop of crime. Although in
2002 a resurgence of burglaries and robberies is observed, homicides, as
well as the overall criminal activity are reduced considerably compared to
the 1998 level.
Despite the recession in criminal activity, Greeks consider crime as one of
the most serious problems in the country (Kathimerini, 19.5.2002). A
relevant opinion poll, in 1999, indicated that crime is the second most
serious problem after the economy but before unemployment. They are not
generally convinced, about this crime setback, and they connect the overall
rising criminality, in the last decade, to the presence of large numbers of
immigrants in the country. Newspaper reports suggest, however, that despite
the impressions given by TV, statistics show that the crimes committed by
foreigners are a much lower proportion than the crimes committed by
Greeks. One of the reasons for the ‘’explosive’’ criminality is, according to
this view, the unprepared police, including the inadequate training, despite
the serious steps of improvements made. It is suggested – and this is another
angle to the problem in hand - that the police has been socially disgraced,
originally during the seven-year dictatorship, but also afterwards by the
socialist and leftist political parties. It is interesting, however, that today
there is no political party of the extreme right persuasion to have
extravagant views and propose ‘’radical’’ measures against crime,
especially with respect to immigrants.
The Youth Club of the New Democracy party, now in opposition,
underlines the increasing criminality after 1994 and the inability of the
government to deal with it. Referring to a recent opinion poll, they note that
76.9 per cent of people are scared and feel unprotected even in their own
FONDAZIONE CENSIS
162