Beware: Crime is on the rise in Europe

Michelle, on the other hand there are more Europeans that love their country and wouldn't dream of leaving to live in another country. I think that there are comparisons... like danger....it's a lot safer in Europe to walk around..the US was listed as the most dangerous (murders, muggings, shotings, etc) industrialized country in the world a couple years ago. I will walk back to the hotel in London after the theatre before I would walk late at night here. Also, I think that
Europeans appreciate what they have...the beauty of thier parks, the wonderful old architectural that's there, etc., not like here. But like anything there are pros and cons.

The second article among this one's references describes how the change came about so quickly: Mafia-style organizations settled into several countries behind the Iron Curtain as communism fell, and now they are taking advantage of the EU's open borders to set up operations in the West. That kind of thing is not confined to Europe, however. Right or wrong, that's the same thing a lot of folks in the Southwest fear about immigration from Mexico when they hear about drug gangs there. But for Western Europeans, this comes on top of fears that the adult children of Muslim immigrants are setting up terrorist cells in their countries. Both threats may get blown out of proportion, but that does not make them any less real. None of this would keep me from going to Europe or Mexico, but I intend to steer clear of areas with known gang activity, just as I do in this country. I would not want to trade my US passport for one from anywhere else, but there are still several countries where I would like dual citizenship.

One issue Mr. Steves has been remarkably silent on is the effort by the Dutch government to shut down a substantial portion of the coffee bars. Seems the decriminalization of pot gave organized crime a money-laundering opportunity that was too good to resist, and now the Netherlands is struggling with the fall-out.

But I still love living here!

Europe (EU) has never been immune from crime. It's just that violent crime is very rare. Despite some headline grabbing stories, there really is no comparison to crime in US cities. Guns, which are typically a part of most US crime, are almost non-existant in European crime. Europe does have higher rates of terrorism, but that is rare too. Europe does have more issues with social unrest such as the recent protests in Greece and France, but those are inconvienences to tourists, not threats. Europe does have significant issues with immigration and racial tolerance - sadly no different than the US.

And yes, many Europeans wish to immigrate to the US because of various reasons (not sure where you came up with the main reason being their own immigration policies). Jobs can be hard to find in Europe; almost everyone that comes to the US does so for economic reasons. But to think Europeans on the whole secretly wish to trade passports is pretty arrogant thinking.

There are millions of ex-pats living in Europe that would disagree with you. I'd trade my passport for a French one in a heartbeat.

I agree though that Rick makes generalizations that I sometimes disagree with.

I thought the article discussed primarily a jump in violent crime in France. Second, who is Deutsche Wella? Their self description uses a number of code words that would make me question their motivation in promoting this story. Not that the story is inaccurate but a question of the spin.

Europeans leaving native lands due to 3rd world immigration will still have to deal with the same issues and more in the US.

Certainly not the case in the UK. Despite the Austerity Budget and the swingeing cuts of the last couple of years crime was reported to be down 8% across the UK in the last year.

I haven't heard of streams of people leaving for the US; nobody I know has considered it.

In the UK immigration issues are a small shadow of where they were 5 years ago.

Michelle, I'm afraid I disagree with your conclusions.

Michelle,

Rick does uppdate his Guidebooks every year, but keep in mind that there's usually a "publishing lag" of several months or more. For example, some of the 2011 Guidebooks are available now, and won't be revised until late next year. There's a "Guidebook Uppdates" section somewhere on the website here, but perhaps the change in the crime situation has been overlooked?

Regarding the topic of Europeans moving here (and that includes Canada), that's been happening for quite awhile. My relatives originated from the U.K. There are a variety of reasons why people move, often for economic reasons and sometimes to provide a better standard of living and future opportunities for their families.

I know from speaking with people that have re-located from different parts of Europe, that a "cultural dilution" has occurred from huge (and often illegal) immigration and is a major concern. I have to wonder if the immigrant population (especially from third world countries) is contributing to the increase in violent crime in Europe?

The crime situation in France seems to be increasing. I posted here recently about a conversation I had with a young lady who works in Europe. She told me about an incident where her and the boyfriend were mugged and beaten while visiting Antibes. I've also seen stories about increasing knife crime in the U.K.

Like you, I have NO desire to trade Passports with anyone, but have thought of extended stays in Europe. There are regular posts here from people who are considering re-locating to Europe (and some who have).

As others have said, I feel safer walking around European cities than some places at home. The crime statistics will NOT affect my travel plans!

At the moment, I'm sitting in one of my favourite small Cafes, owned by someone from the U.K., having just finished my weekly Full English Breakfast.

Cheers!

The only book that I found should be updated was the Amsterdam, Brussels & Bruges book. Trams in Amsterdam no longer use the Strippenkaart - only the chipkaart, and the 1-hour ride is 2,60, not 1,40 as Rick wrote. I was surprised to find the price had jumped that much in under a year! Oh, and I don't know, I felt safer in Brussels/Berlin/Budapest/Prague/Munich/Amsterdam than in any U.S. city I've been to.

"... Second, who is Deutsche Wella? Their self description uses a number of code words that would make me question their motivation in promoting this story. ..."

DW is Germany's international broadcaster, similar to e.g. BBC World.

What "code words" are you referring to? The "About us" page clearly says:

"Deutsche Welle is Germany's international broadcaster: online, on-screen and over the air. It provides a European perspective to audiences around the world and promotes intercultural dialogue."

I have to wonder if there's a correlation between an increase in crime (especially violent crime) and the increase in unemployment. Impoverished people sometimes turn to desperate measures (regardless of whether they live in the E.U., Canada or the U.S.).

On a somewhat related note, there was a story on 60 MINUTES last night about "The 99ers". It was saddening to see so many well educated people in such a desperate situation. Hopefully things improve for them in the near future.

This Thread is a good reminder though, that we should all be increasingly vigilant when travelling.

Cheers!

Other than European hockey players joining NHL teams and refugees from the Balkans, I wasn't aware that Europeans were fleeing in droves to the New World (okay, maybe we get a scientist or two every once in awhile). I would like to see your data suggesting that they're coming to the USA because of immigration from developing countries.

So, what happened from one year ago when you wanted to trade your passport to now? Crime must not be much of a reason since you're just fine living in an area with crime rates exceeding the national averages in every category but murder (i.e. higher in rapes, robbery, assaults, and all violent crime).

I've read the article twice now and still haven't found any reference to the fact that "crime is on the rise in Europe". The article itself is about incidents in France only, with one particular type of crime. Links on the page point towards 2009 statistics that have shown that Germany is actually SAFER.

And where are the "thousands of Europeans leaving their native lands every year for America due to the 3rd world immigration issue"? I know many Germans who immigrated to Canada and the US for many different reasons. NONE mentioned this particular issue as a reason. For most the reasons are job related or personal.

And nobody would leave Europe to the US due to rise in crime, in fact they leave in spite of knowing they'll be living with more crime in US.

And NOBODY wants to trade their passport. German citizenship legislation is very restrictive regarding dual citizenship. I do know a few people who went through the ardous process of getting dual citizenship but know nobody who is willing to give up their European passport for any other.

In my experience Brits will choose to move to America for economic reasons mostly. The cheapest house in Oxfordshire for example cost upwards of £300,000.00 A small one bedroomed flat £200,000.00. London prices are almost double as much. My cousins 6 bedroomed house near Boston cost less than a small flat in Oxford. When coupled with the lack of jobs at present there may well be those who would consider moving the the USA. Instead we moved to Germany where we find the standard of living better and cheaper than the UK but I would imagine the language barrier means that more people would prefer an English speaking country like the US or Australia.

Michelle,, articles and posts like these are rather annoying,, they are completely self congratutory,,, like " see, aren't we the best"

Bah humbug... I wouldn't trade my Canadain passport in for an American,, even if you paid me.

And, as for America being the place to go for economic reasons,, I can only site "better propoganda" since most us westerners know America is actuallly in quite a funk right now, in Nevada , 1 out of 79 homes are being foreclosed on,, and unemployment in many States hovers around 10-15% ,, yikes, higher is some places too. They say they can't keep count of those who have been unemployed for more then a year as they are no longer on the books for the insurance pay outs.

If one was from a third world country,, then yes, America looks great,,but so does any western country in Europe. Hardly think that comparing apples to oranges is fair though. And,, some of my friends are now buying houses in States,, they are so cheap they can get "vacation " houses in Palm Springs etc for way cheaper then they could here,, average family home here is about 6-700,000 dollars, so you can see ,, its very attractive to get a place in an english speaking country that is close by( to us) ,, only hold back for some is frankly,, the CRIME and guns in States are scary.

Pat, Pat, Pat ... Lighten up, everone knows that there are only 79 homes in Nevada, so the loss of one to forclosure really isn't that bad. Parochialism, whether from an American, a Canadian, or anyone else is silly.

For the record, unemployment rates are nearly the same for the EU and USA...EU is actually higher at just over 10%...USA is at 9.6%. Okay, Canada does have us beat at 8%, but Iowa's rate is only 6.8%, so the obvious answer is to leave the north and head slightly south to Iowa!

Geeez pat...sounds like you need a drink. Speaking of...I just read an article from Health Canada.org that said alchohol abuse by pre-teens and teens in Canada is more than double that of the U.S. Sounds like a great place to raise a family. Gotta stay warm somehow, I suppose.

Seriously, Europe is sadly becoming more violent and dangerous. Great article in "The Economist" a few months back about this trend, especially in the U.K. and Spain.

Lighten up folks and think happy (travel) thoughts.

Why do posts of this type always seem to deteriorate into, if you'll pardon the expression, "a pissing contest"?

Steve - I'm not sure exactly what you refer to but in general the posts have worked to dispell some inaccuracies in the opening post. That poster stated several opinions based on one article and criticized RS without any factual support. She also brought up the volatile topic of immigration, unfortunately in an un-factual manner. And she broached the always volatile issue of "trading passports." All that without returning to post any followup or clarifications. These boards are about informing people and correcting misunderstandings on European travel. Though it digressed, the opening post was a mis-informed statement about crime in Europe - safety is an issue that often arises on this board.

While I won't be giving up my US passport, I certainly have no plans of handing over my European one and heading back to the States. Back home we have high unemployment, a high foreclosure rate, and people armed to the teeth--I think I'll take my chances with the gypsies on the subway here in Italy!

Sorry Michelle but when you put a thread like that up it's going to get people's backs up. I never can understand while Americans are always so smug in thinking that everyone wants to live there, believe me, I've met many people who enjoyed their visit to the States but then couldn't wait to get back to Europe.