I'm not saying it's a positive. But the fact that criminals are not put in jail but at home is a major contributor the emptiness of our jails.
If people aren't in jail it doesn't mean there is no crime.
Many crimes are committed by other Europeans and Dutch criminals who commit crimes in Germany across the border. For instance ramming or exploding ATMs in Germany by Dutch organised crime happens a lot.
When looking at crime rates and amount of people in jail statistics per country are very unreliable and give the wrong impression when you should look at the big European picture.
Could you elaborate what the big European picture is (with stats or arguments that you do find reliable)?
As it is, I'm skeptical. I've spent about half my life living outside of 'Western Europe' and much of the other half in Holland. My experience at least fits the statistics: Holland is one of the safest places I've ever lived, and I usually lived (and spent a chunk of my leisure time) in the 'bad parts of town'.
With a few tiny exceptions, there are very few areas I can think of that I would avoid at night at all cost, for example. I'd go anywhere in Amsterdam at any time of the night, including the bad parts. And many of my female friends, who I'd say more at risk in general, would say the same.
Completely agree. I lived in Hungary, where the crime rate is relatively low compared to the whole Europe. But you can't actually go to an open market without securing your pockets. Now I live in Scotland, which amongst the highest crime rate countries in Europe, but it feels much safer to walk through Glasgow than to walk through Budapest.
This is because every single small pickpocket is reported and usually caught. Not to mention crime definitions like "breach of peace", with cases like "shouting in public" or "pointed his finger on walker". Police would laugh on a reports about these in Hungary.
I didn't like Amsterdam (or what I have seen of it) though, same insecure feeling.
Hmm, while knife crime maybe more common in Glasgow than anywhere else in western europe it's still rare and mostly restricted to rough areas (i.e. not "took a wrong turn at George Square" but "went deep into a troubled neighbourhood and kept going") and even then you'd probably have to be really looking for trouble or damn unlucky
If people aren't in jail it doesn't mean there is no crime.
Many crimes are committed by other Europeans and Dutch criminals who commit crimes in Germany across the border. For instance ramming or exploding ATMs in Germany by Dutch organised crime happens a lot.
When looking at crime rates and amount of people in jail statistics per country are very unreliable and give the wrong impression when you should look at the big European picture.