Foreign Visitors as Targets of Crime in the Netherlands: Perceptions and Actual Victimization Over the Years 1989, 1990, and 1993

• NCJ Number: 167465
• Journal: Security Journal Volume: 7 Issue: 3 Dated: (October 1996) Pages: 211-218
• Author(s): A R Hauber; A G A Zandbergen
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 8 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: US Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, International Crime Statistics Program.

Annotation

This article provides information on perceptions of and actual criminal victimization of foreign visitors in the Netherlands.

Abstract

According to lifestyle theory (Hindelang et al., 1978), foreign visitors present attractive targets for criminal victimization. This article considers what perception foreign visitors -- tourists and business people -- have of the crime level in the Netherlands and the extent to which this perception corresponds to the actual crime level. Arriving and departing travelers at Schiphol Airport Amsterdam were questioned. During the summer months of 1989, 1990, and 1993, 824 English-speaking foreigners, randomly chosen, were interviewed. In general, foreign visitors have a negative view of the crime level in the Netherlands. It is most negative on arrival and tends to be adjusted somewhat by the time of departure. On a yearly basis, the victimization risk for a foreign visitor is 8-10 times higher than for the Dutch inhabitant. Among the recommendations for addressing crime against tourists in the Netherlands are to ensure that the visitor to the Netherlands receives accurate information about victimization risks either before or immediately after arrival; to focus on cooperation among all appropriate organizations to decrease the rate of victimization; and to ensure that the consequences of victimization are limited. 1 figure, 5 tables, and 8 references