Burglary Victims and the Response of the Police: Findings From a Hungarian City

• NCJ Number: 174257
• Journal: Policing Volume: 21 Issue: 2 Dated: 1998 Pages: 314-329
• Author(s): R I Mawby; I Gorgenyi
• Date Published: 1998
• Length: 16 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Following an overview of the crime situation in Hungary and of the project that produced the data for this paper, the authors examine victims' experience of burglary in one Hungarian city (Miskolc), victim services, and victims' attitudes toward police.

Abstract

The broader research from which the data for this study was taken involved an analysis of criminal victimization in six cities in four countries. For the purposes of this study, burglary was defined as "where someone entered the home without permission in order to steal something." From the findings it is clear that the crime rate has been increasing in Hungary in the period of widespread socio-political change and that burglary is a relatively common crime that has become more prevalent in this period. The custom of owning a weekend home ("dacha"), which is often left unattended, means that burglaries of these homes are common and indeed may be the most likely burglary experienced by victims. Victims' reactions to their burglaries, whether of conventional homes and dacha, were similar to those of victims in other countries; victims were affected both financially and personally. Reflecting this, victim support services are a recent innovation, although currently available only in a few cities. For most victims, then, the police were the only official agency with which they had contact. Regarding victims' attitudes toward the police, the findings were generally positive. Although clearance rates on burglary were low, victims were relatively satisfied with police response. Three-quarters of the victims were satisfied overall with the way the police handled the matter and the most common criticism, that the police should have kept them better informed, was voiced by only 29 percent of respondents. Victims also held relatively positive attitudes toward the police in general. One of the most notable findings was that respondents felt the police were sympathetic toward victims and that there had been recent improvements in this respect. 4 tables, 4 notes, and 49 references