GREEK FINANCIAL CRISIS : WIDESPREAD PETTY CRIME HITS A PEACEFUL COUNTRY

GREEK FINANCIAL CRISIS : WIDESPREAD PETTY CRIME HITS A PEACEFUL COUNTRY

courtesy; purefx.com

Greece was known as one of the countries with the lowest crime rate, both in city and in the countryside.

It was so unmarred by crime, that most women or people in general could feel free to walk the streets of Athens at night without any fear of become victim of a crime.

Things however have changed since Greece has fallen into the grips of a severe depression, and the Greek people have had to scramble to find food and other goods.  Indeed the austerity put in place by the government has weighed so heavily on the people, that there are reports of people trying to give their children in the care of someone who can still afford to feed them, since so many people are unemployed.

Societal strain often heralds the advent of drug crimes, with more and more people turning to heavy drug use as their work prospects disappear.   Drug crimes then translate into other forms of petty and not so petty crime, such as theft, burglaries and so on.  

Another sad sign of the times in Greece is the unusual number of cats and dogs who have been abandoned by their owner and who now roam the street sullenly in search for food.  

Even the handsome gardens dotting the city are going to seed.  

Almost a quarter of the capital's center is now off limits to the citizens due to the crime activity that takes place there.  

Police representatives are blaming immigrants for the increase in crime.  But organized crime is also on the rise.  

Citizens are trying to fight back by forming block patrols or hiring private security.  Home break-ins are skyrocketing and people are becoming afraid.  

An exodus of islanders returning to their homes is expected, since many of them came to the continent to work, and now that the work is gone, they will probably have to regress to their birthplace.  

In addition, young professionals or people with jobs that allow mobility are increasingly looking at emigrating to other countries as the only  way to find employment. 

People in Athens and elsewhere are struggling, but some retain hope that once the worse of the crisis has passed a new beginning will be made, and the country can recover and return to its happier and carefree days.     

Source: Spiegel online 2.12.13