This photo shows a special police force officer standing watch near Seoul’s Gangnam Station in this file photo taken Aug. 4, 2023. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Oct. 24 (Korea Bizwire) — The public’s perception of safety from crimes declined last year compared with the previous year due mainly to the occurrence of several high-profile violent crimes, a ruling party lawmaker said Tuesday.
The public’s perceived safety from crimes in 2022 was rated at 83 points, down 0.4 from 2021, Rep. Chung Woo-taik of the People Power Party, said, citing a survey by the National Police Agency.
The telephone survey, commissioned by the police, was conducted on 51,600 people nationwide from May to October last year.
In particular, the public perception of safety regarding crimes against women came to 81.4 points, down 0.3 from 2021 while the corresponding figures for burglary-violence and robbery-murder were 82.9 points and 84.6 points, down by 0.1 point and 0.6 point, respectively.
The results appear to have stemmed from a series of notorious crimes reported in 2022, including the stalking murder of a subway worker at Seoul’s Sindang Station.
Women’s perception of safety from crimes was 81.4 points compared with men’s 84.5 points.
By age group, 40-something people’s safety perception was the lowest at 80.8 points while people in their 60s and older gave the highest mark of 85.5 points.
From across the nation, the perception of safety from crimes was lowest among residents of Incheon, a populous city west of Seoul, at 78.7 points.
The public’s perception of safety from traffic accidents and compliance with the law, meanwhile, rose by 1.3 point and 8.9 points to reach 74.8 and 76.1, respectively last year, the survey also showed.
(Yonhap)
