Authors

• Police Departments of State Provincial Offices of Mainland Finland

Keywords

community safety, crime and security, crime prevention, emergency and protective services, neighbourhoods, offences, personal safety, police services, residential areas, road safety, social services

Abstract

The survey charted citizens' views on and experiences of policing, public safety, victimisation, security issues, and services of the residential area. The respondents assessed the following aspects of their residential area among others: closeness to nature, job opportunities, recreational facilities, and the abundance of services. They rated regional services with a scale of 4-10 (ten being the highest grade), and these included emergency and protective services, children's day care, mental health services, transport, and the treatment of drug and alcohol addicts. Disturbing factors (prostitution, vandalism, polluted environment, drug traffic) in the area were also studied.

The respondents' sense of safety was probed by asking whether they feel safe walking outside late in the evening in the weekends. Perceptions of changes in road safety in the past few years and the seriousness of the crime situation were also examined. The respondents were asked about personal experiences of being a crime victim in the previous three years and where and when the incident had taken place.

Views on how the police in had succeeded in taking care of their duties were studied. The respondents evaluated the importance of police services (e.g. arriving at the scene of the crime and solving crimes fast and the possibility of reporting a crime online). They were also asked what kinds of issues worried them about the future. These included financial difficulties, domestic violence, loneliness, cuts in social and health services, increase in crime and drug abuse. Perceptions of different measures that would improve their residential area's attractiveness and safety, such as better street lights, drug education and traffic control, were queried on. Lastly, the respondents were asked how closely they identified with different groups or areas, such as family, school or work community, town or municipality, Finnish society and the European Union.

Background variables included respondent's gender, year of birth, province, status in employment, mother tongue, household composition, basic and vocational education, number of children under 18, type of accommodation, housing tenure, region of residence, years lived in the municipality and region.