Fear of crime

Fear of crime refers to a fear of people, themselves victims of a crime to be ( personal fear of crime ), on the other hand estimate whether crime is a social problem (social fear of crime ).

The fear of crime has a significant impact on crime policy. The strengthening of the subjective sense of security ( also attenuation of the fear of crime ) is at the same time reinforces the confidence in the functioning of state control.

Politics and the media contribute to at least a distorted picture of the extent of crime in Germany. On the fear of criminal offenses is reinforced reacts with crime prevention. In the second Perodischen safety report of the federal government in 2006, a whole chapter is concerned with fear of crime. The study concludes: " Felt " crime, which is largely fed also by not getting proper treatment of this topic by the ever-growing importance in their everyday mass media can have a sustainable impact and crime policy decisions and limit their options. Policy must therefore take seriously fear of crime, even if it is based on subjectively exaggerated notions of the order of individual victims or risks of miscalculation of crime trends.