And unless you are married to a Greek or counsel Greek couples - restrict to comments you can prove. Machsimo culture is found in Jordan and Brazil and in Jordan y ou have honor killings and in Brazil mass rapes and murders of women. Not so in Greece. Greece villages and hamlets and cities are clean and crime free - but with the influx of Muslims that has changed but still lower then any Western nation. They live longer then most people too. People who live in abusive relationships don't live longer.
Interpol Study: Greece Has Lowest Crime Rate in Europe
By George Anagnostopoulos for Southeast European Times in Athens - 15/01/04
Studies published by Interpol indicate that Greece has the lowest crime rate in Europe, making it among the safest countries in which to live or visit. During 2002, there were only 4,145 infractions per 100,000 inhabitants. Among those, there were two murders, eight sex offences, two rapes, and 672 thefts. Interpol says 85 per cent of the cases have been solved.
By comparison, the UK has had an average of three times as many homicides, ten times more sex offences, six times more rapes and thefts. Only 23 per cent of the approximately 5,673,000 cases were solved.
The profile of crime in the two countries is different. In numbers, thefts and drug offences are relatively high in Greece, but more serious, physical crimes -- murder, rape and serious assault -- are uncommon. The reverse seems to be true for the UK and most of Western Europe.
Greece, however, ranks high in money laundering, trafficking and counterfeiting. That does not come as a surprise, since it is an international passage for criminals between Europe, Africa and Asia. (Muslim gangs from Albania-America's newest allies)
According to economist Ilias Ioakimoglou, who has more recent statistics than those published by Interpol, Denmark, Belgium, Sweden, Finland and France follow in second to sixth place. The last places are held by Germany, Austria and Greece. Finland and Spain seem to hold the highest rate for murder, while the UK and Denmark are those with the highest figures in crimes of physical violence (rape, bodily harm, robbery).
However, Ioakimoglou, who conducted research for the V-Project Consultancy Research Institute, says that Greeks are the most insecure of all Europeans. They rank as having the greatest fear of crime among their peers.
One factor that has a strong influence on perception of crime is the mass media. In view of the Olympic Games that will take place in Athens this August, the media have been pointing out inefficiencies in security, leading some to worry that the country cannot deal with threats.
Greece has invested 597m euros in security for the Games, the highest amount for any single event ever. The security forces for the Olympics are comprised of 70,000 men, not including the Army.
This has not stopped 21 per cent of the Greek population from worrying about a possible terrorist strike. However, Public Order Minister Georgios Floridis, having co-ordinated with intelligence agencies from the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, France, Germany and other countries, has expressed confidence that nothing could penetrate the security net.
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Next time back up your garbage or you will be taken out with it.
All the Greeks I know, and I know a LOT, I am betting a lot more than you....no offense intended, are in solid Orthodox Christian marriages of longevity. But then the ones I spend time with are all through the church.
My friend Despina, who has yet to take me to Greece, says the country has changed a lot over the last ten years. But it still is largely Christian when compared to the US, for instance.