Expats concerned re geneva crime
Praised as one of the best places in the world to live, it would seem that expats living in Geneva, Switzerland, are not quite so enamoured with their lot...
Some 33% of expats living in Geneva said there has been a substantial deterioration in security in recent years and 45% said it has worsened slightly, according to a survey.
The 58 page Expatriates and Safety in Geneva report from the Geneva police in association with the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations, also found that finding a place to life and transport are also major issues.
It is local crime though that remains a major concern for the expats who took part in the survey and are from a wide variety of nations and have lived in Geneva for more than two years.
Some 12.4% of expats reported having been burgled during the past three years and 11.6% said they had been robbed in the street.
The Geneva police say that expats' perception of the worsening crime situation ‘matches the reality on the ground'. But recent police operations in the Centre of town seem to be making a difference and preventive and reorganisation measures should help, a spokesman said.
Despite their concerns though, Geneva remains an excellent place to live and work, the poll added, with around 92% of people saying they would recommend Geneva to their family and friends and 77.3% saying the quality of life was good. Only 18.7% said it was average and 4% described it as bad.
‘There is a real lack of satisfaction among expatriates living in central parts of the city regarding the work of the police,' the report states.
Concern is highest in the Pâquis neighbourhood and the area around Cornavin, the main train station, where more than 50% of those surveyed raised concerns about the lack of police presence.
Didier Froidevaux, who led the survey on behalf of the Geneva police, said that the expat results and concerns are similar to those of Geneva locals from a 2007 survey and match the reality on the ground. Geneva has the highest crime rates in the country, mainly due to burglaries, petty crime, drug dealing and other incivilities.
‘It is not only expats who are calling for more neighbourhood police. Members of the population as a whole are making similar demands. However, the expats are expressing themselves more strongly than the general population,' said Froidevaux, director of strategic studies for Geneva police.
‘That may be because people originating from Anglo Saxon countries and Scandinavia, for example, are used to community policing which is much more developed there than here,' he added.
Earlier this year the new Geneva councillor in charge of the police, Isabel Rochat, described the security situation in Geneva as ‘frankly worrying'.
The authorities are hopeful that Operation Figaro, a crackdown on petty crime in the city Centre that was launched in April will help. Already the level of theft is down 5% in the Centre and 12% in suburbs, according to police figures.
Next January a new integrated police station will be opened in the Paquis district bringing together more officers with special skills for tracking thieves and dealers and more English speaking officers.
Major changes are also planned next month to make investigations into burglaries more efficient, as well as preventive security initiatives with estate agents, housing agencies and owners.
Source: www.expatforum.com