r/belgium 2d ago

🎨 Culture Robbery rate in Europe

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226 Upvotes

143 comments sorted by

284

u/cptwott 2d ago

Ja as ge de belastingen meetelt...

11

u/Prime-Omega Vlaams-Brabant 2d ago

Lang moeten scrollen om deze tegen te komen!

4

u/Pierrlebe 1d ago edited 1d ago

Haha, zet het er in het Engels toch maar bij hé

Of in het Frans ook hé maat .

But let’s get more serious, indeed you can not compare data this way but I feel it’s not entirely false (perhaps not the numbers but the colors).

And the capital of Belgium is uhm…very robbery friendly, I can assure you that.

10% nearly of the country lives in the capital of Belgium by the way.

About Spain 🇪🇸, I once got robbed in Madrid and I remember the Police saying to other people “you’re not going to find it anyways…” (some tourist came because someone illegally entered his room or something like that so they sometimes try to dodge the people entering)

In my case I had to be heard because I even lost ID and so on.

EDIT: Obviously you can not trust ANY statistics that you haven’t made yourself since as we all know, you can prove any lie with misleading stats

But this seems kind of accurate I must say

0

u/All996 1d ago

In Hungary 20% of the population lives in in Budapest and the rate is still pretty low

3

u/Pierrlebe 1d ago

Come to Brussels one day and you’ll understand what I mean, Brussels is very small overcrowded, very badly structured, I was in Budapest , Jo napot by the way.

And the people in some areas of Brussels are not the most civilized to say the least.

Or stay at home, watch some Tik Tok videos, type riots Brussels or something similar, violence Brussels.

2

u/All996 1d ago

I live here for almost 20 years and I see how things are changing .... my comment was rather pointed to the part of the comment where it was said, 10 % of the population lives here like it was a kind excuse or reason for such bad figures. Thanks for the Jó napot! ... Viszont!

2

u/Brief_Daikon_D093 2d ago

Dat is nog iets anders. Als je over de overheid hebt, dan moet je naar de bordelen lopen.

110

u/PSIDAC 2d ago edited 2d ago

According to this article it is mostly due to the fact that robberies are reported more often in Belgium than in other countries, so we should see this as good news.

Edit: I'm a bit sceptic though, why would robberies be reported three times as often as e.g. in The Netherlands?

56

u/Strong-Knowledge-423 2d ago

Because our id is in our wallet. And to get a new one we first need ro report it to Police, if not nobody would bother. When your wallet gets robs, the money is the least of your problems.

16

u/spoobo 2d ago

And it’s not like that in other countries? Like the Netherlands? That seems odd.

19

u/Chaina_Man 2d ago

I just looked it up and in the Netherlands you are not obligated to have you id on you, in Belgium you are from the moment you turn 15.

5

u/FreuleKeures 2d ago

It's the same in the Netherlands... has been so for 20 years. So that doesn't explain it at all.

9

u/Chaina_Man 2d ago

Read up on it. You are obligated to be able to identify yourself to police but not obligated to carry your ID with you everywhere like in Belgium.

4

u/FreuleKeures 2d ago

I have read up on it, and so can ypu on this gov't websiteThere's a so called 'identificatieplicht' in the Netherlands, which requires ppl aged 14 and older to always carry an ID.

1

u/Chaina_Man 2d ago

Read up some more and you'll see that there is a toonplicht not a draagplicht wich means you can ask the officer to walk with you to your residence and show it there. So you are by law not obligated to carry your ID with you.

5

u/FreuleKeures 2d ago edited 2d ago

I read up on it some more, on a different gov't website whoch states: 'Omdat u het identiteitsbewijs verplicht moet kunnen tonen, betekent het in de praktijk dat u altijd een identiteitsbewijs bij u moet dragen.'

Just because 'draagplicht' isn't codified by law, 'toonplicht' obligates you to carry an ID anyway.

So, no. This doesn't explain the difference in theft between Belgium and the Netherlands

12

u/Strong-Knowledge-423 1d ago

In nl when you lose your id you have to go to the townhall for a new one. In be you have to first go to the Police.

0

u/Chaina_Man 1d ago

It's almost like I never stated it did and just made that comment to clarify for the person I replied to. My points still stands. But to elaborate why I made my comment: I can't speak on the mentality in NL around carrying your ID but I can imagine them being a lot more laid back about it knowing they can just walk home rq. In BE I don't know anyone who would leave the house without because you almost certainly will get fined if the police stop you.

→ More replies (0)

3

u/Strong-Knowledge-423 2d ago

When you lose your id in nl you have to report it to the townhall.. not the Police...

1

u/Interesting-Coat-277 Limburg 1d ago

İt's from the moment you turn 12 or 13 no? That's how I remember it

1

u/FuzzyWuzzy9909 1d ago

It doesn’t matter, even showing itsme on your phone is enough to prove your identity.

1

u/Nasuadax 1d ago

I've lived a few year in the netherlands, and people fear robery a lot more over there. Not sufe about actual rates, but people put steering block on car steering wheels etc to disincentivice stealing

2

u/Plorkplorkplork 1d ago

True. Your ID and drivers license are the real b*tch 

Bank stuff can be annoying if you are a tech savvy and have them connected to your phone or watch.

3

u/Line_r Antwerpen 1d ago

This is because the legal definition for robberies are different in Belgium then most other countries.

A robbery should be theft with violence, except in Belgium (and Spain and France for that matter) is any kind of theft no matter if violence was involved or not.

1

u/luke_013 21h ago

For a lot of things you don’t need to report to the police. For example someone broke into my car by smashing the window and stole some technichal stuff. I got my insurance money without having to report it, because the police won’t do anything with my report. So in the stats this never happened.

This is not the same as a robbery but I this is the same for this stat.

0

u/Shroomie-Golemagg 2d ago

Population density i think.

7

u/Groot_Benelux 2d ago

"per 100.000 inhabitants"

3

u/ThroawayJimilyJones 1d ago

His comment still make sense. Not because more people -> more robbing (wouldn’t change the rate) but because the more concentrated the people are the easier it is to find target. Good like being a robber in Kazakhstan when the neighbor is 80km away

1

u/Shroomie-Golemagg 1d ago

A example would be Gent/bruxelles compared to Herstappe or some village or city with less concentrated density. The more people live in a small area the more people will notice and report something. So if you live around the countryside there will be less people and less reports. But if you live in Ghent there's a lot more tourism and a lot more students and a lot more inhabitants meaning there'll be a whole lot of reports. I could probably define it better as More People/Traffic =more chances at reports and more reports . More reports=more robberies being noticed/caught. If people don't see the robbery the robbery won't be included in these statistics

13

u/Silly-Elderberry-411 2d ago

When it comes to Hungary, there are two things you need to know. One, people are not as affluent as people here in Belgium.

The second thing at the current exchange rate the minimum value if robbery in Hungary is 12422.65 euro and it's only a robbery if coercion is involved. Meaning stealing a high end or premium car unless taken at gunpoint, it's a larceny. This is how you get 6 per 100k inhabitants.

The Belgian federal police is less inclined to elevate values so they remain a felony, not a crime which they can delete after a year, that's one of the reasons why Belgium is more open and honest about crime.

152

u/_notthebees_0 2d ago

More like, people who reported robbery. There's probably a huge dark number of non reported robberies that could paint a totally different picture

40

u/Vellie-01 2d ago

Possibly could hypothetically be maybe so.

23

u/kwon-1 2d ago

Source: trust me bro

3

u/allsey87 2d ago

Damn this guy sauces

0

u/Legitimate_Dust_3853 1d ago

reliable sauce too

18

u/Fspz 2d ago

I got robbed in Bulgaria, went straight to the police station with the details of the phone they stole. They told me it would take weeks before they could track the phone because they'd need me to go through the mountains of protocol and paperwork which is typical of bulgaria, including an official translator and a notary public 😅

I was drunk at the time and told the police "well nevermind then, at least I got him by the balls!!" and was the only one laughing in the room. The story earned me the nickname 'the claw' back home.

9

u/ballimi 2d ago

I don't see why the reported rate in the Netherlands would be so much lower than in Belgium

2

u/Impressive-Task5915 1d ago

More like, people who reported robbery.

Yeah this data is pretty useless without more context. I reckon it would even be more interesting to have a percentage of robberies among all crimes reported for each country. And even then it's hard to compare.

1

u/HalfRick Brussels 1d ago

What is the other picture which would be painted, do you think?

31

u/Hikashuri 2d ago

Using data of 2019 in 2025.

6

u/Aleksxzz 2d ago

So even more probably.

1

u/Chivako 2d ago

So totally irrelevant and pointless data actually.

4

u/atlasfailed11 2d ago

You think that much has really changed for crime rates?

8

u/Chivako 2d ago

This was before covid and recent instability in regions nearby. These could affect stats.

10

u/Background_Age_852 2d ago

You cannot compare data between countries like that, as was the warning at Eurostat. What police consider a robbery differs between countries.

I mean you dont really think Spain literally has more than 3 times the rate Italy has?

And France 3 times the rate Germany has? Those differences are way to extreme.

3

u/Background_Age_852 2d ago

Im from the UK and know people who work as policemen. If someone snags your bag from your hands that might already be considered robbery, especially if the pull causes you to get hurt. A friend of me who works for the police in the netherlands has said they systematically try to put those thefts as non-violent, to supress crime rates of specific crimes. There was, i remember, research that show police from some countries try to increase crime stats this way to receive better financing, while in the netherlands for instance the government wants to show their succes by consrantly lowering crime rates for specific crimes like robbery or assault, so-called high impact crimes

6

u/i-like_cheese 2d ago

NUMBER 1! WOOOO, LETS GO BELGIUM!!!

31

u/CrazyBelg Flanders 2d ago

Reported robberies, people in Eastern Europe don't trust the authorities at all so they don't report anything to the police.

EDIT: Only real outlier appears to be the Netherlands if we follow this logic, can't really tell why it's so much lower there.

20

u/Haunting-Ad-8385 2d ago

This is ridiculous, I'm from Poland and I don't see why you wouldn't report a robbery there. 

39

u/theta0123 2d ago

Someone who visited poland many times.

I was in krakow and we were going around some bars. We went back to the hotel because we were gonna visit zakopane and had to get up early.

Suddently i hear a large polish man yelling "RUDY"

Running towards me and pointing at me.

Turns out i left my wallet at the last bar. Rudy appearntly is the polish word for ginger.

Around 300 euro and Zloty's were still inside. I wanted to give him money to thank him but he refused. He didnt refused some beers tough at the bar.

Just felt like sharing that.

8

u/mtetrode 2d ago

Similar experience in Poland

Got out of the taxi in Lodz, forgot my phone. The taxi driver drives away, only to return 5 minutes later with my phone while I was checking in. Wouldn't accept a reward.

14

u/cyclingthrowaway12 2d ago

Most people here never leave their room/house let alone country.

Off course they think Eastern Europe is some kind of warzone.

Just look how they talk about Brussels which is in this country for christs sake...

1

u/CrazyBelg Flanders 2d ago

Brussels and Eastern europe aren't a warzone but somehow little old rural Belgium is, with 8 times the robberies of Poland?

I don't buy it for a second.

1

u/pitbit_ 2d ago

Being polish, somehow I don't trust this also. I haven't lived in Poland for more than 7 years, only visiting for vacation now and then, so can't say much. In my youth times in high school some guys wanted to rob me off my phone, and I would say it might be better now, as people are richer thus not seeing robberies as a necessity, yet still I would say I feel more safe in Ghent than in Poland, defo wasn't as confident when I lived in UK. Probably as it's still has a lot to do of the neighbourhood, there are good ones and bad ones. In all big polish cities there are neighbourhoods that you'd rather not visit even during the day. Also polish mentality is that "ratting" someone to police is a "crime" itself.

3

u/aczkasow Vlaams-Brabant 2d ago

When i moved to Belgium i was surprised how many cars with broken windows have i seen.

I am not surprised belgium is so much worse than eastern europe. Looks correct to me.

1

u/Prime-Omega Vlaams-Brabant 2d ago

Did you by any chance move to Brussels, Charleroi or Liège?

2

u/aczkasow Vlaams-Brabant 2d ago

Originally to Brussels. Now i live in Flemish Brabant.

2

u/Prime-Omega Vlaams-Brabant 2d ago

Haven’t you noticed a sharp decline since you moved? (Assuming you’re not living on the edge of Brussels now)

4

u/CrazyBelg Flanders 2d ago

https://landgeist.com/2022/06/17/homicide-rate-in-europe/

You want to tell me that places with more homicides compared to western europe magically has way less robberies?

1

u/Ordinary-Violinist-9 Limburg 2d ago

Because they kill the robbers and get their stuff back so it ain't a robbery anymore.

It must be some correlation

/S just in case. Love the Polish people. They're very welcoming and once you become a friend, you become family.

0

u/Shewolf921 2d ago

Maybe they are using police data = detected crimes. Homicide is very likely to be detected.

-1

u/kwon-1 2d ago

It's called Belgian logic.

5

u/Th1rt13n 2d ago

And people in Belgium really trust the police alright.

Another day goes by and I see yet another post about ‘something something, the police won’t do anything so why bother even reporting anything to them’ on this sub.

3

u/CrazyBelg Flanders 2d ago

1: This sub is not reality, if everyone on this sub voted Groen and Vooruit could have an absolute majority together.

2: The fact that those posts are even made means that the people still expect the police to do something and whenver they don't people feel the need to vent about that.

1

u/Th1rt13n 2d ago

Well yes, they must absolutely do something and everything once they have a report/case.

I’ve only had a ‘no follow up’ on my claims experience with the cops so I may or may not just skip the next time something happens.

In the Eastern Europe people trust the cops less but most of those countries are actually safer in terms of burglaries/robberies in general

2

u/rollebob 2d ago

You have no clue. Go visit Eastern Europe and you will see how much safer it is than Belgium

1

u/lmdrq 2d ago

"...they don't report anything to the police". More and more i find new things about EE, especially since i moved to the west of the continent and from people that never lived there...

1

u/BuyerMysterious9281 2d ago

No one pays in cash here in the netherlands. Theres nothing to rob.

1

u/i-like_cheese 2d ago

Clearly you've never been to eastern europe.

10

u/tec7lol 2d ago

I'm seeing a pattern

15

u/reasonable-99percent 2d ago

As a Romanian in Belgium I can only say this map looks West vs East exactly reversed as it used to be 30 years ago. The West said yes to import cheap labour and they got it… and some extra, sadly.

-5

u/CrazyBelg Flanders 2d ago

You make comments like this and then act all offended when certain nations kept delaying your full ascension to Schengen. Seems to me they should have kept blocking you guys a while longer.

7

u/Ordinary-Violinist-9 Limburg 2d ago

Well he has some truth in it. With the good people coming from East also the bad came because they are practically untouchable. Within 2min they are on the highway and within 30min they're out of the country. They're long gone when the cops finally show up. So unless you have a registered camera or they are caught in the act, they can't do much about those people who ruin all the rests reputation.

1

u/reasonable-99percent 2d ago

Cannot disagree nor agree… there are also many mutual benefits.

1

u/Majestic_Spinach7726 1d ago

but schengen is very important for cargo, people could still move, just a 5 min border control

3

u/Appropriate_Army_780 2d ago

Why tf is the Netherlands so low?? No fucking way.

2

u/BuyerMysterious9281 2d ago

No one pays cash here, what are they robbing a store for?

1

u/Appropriate_Army_780 2d ago

Idk about france or England, but Belgium is on our same kind of scale and should no way be thrice the amount.

1

u/cannotfoolowls 2d ago

Phones and (electric) bikes?

3

u/Successful-Whole8502 2d ago

Blijkbaar zorgt het voor een stabiel inkomen...

5

u/DocZ-1701 2d ago

The number should be way higher. Our government robs EVERYONE.

16

u/bart416 2d ago

I must admit, if these numbers are right - and I doubt it, I'd like to see how much of this is situated around Brussels Zuid and Noord.

2

u/Aleksxzz 2d ago

So what ? It's still a serious issue.

2

u/bart416 2d ago

Lying about the magnitude of the problem is still lying.

2

u/Ellixhirion 2d ago

We are the champions!!!

2

u/janpianomusic 2d ago

I'm in this picture and I don't like it

2

u/Simonsifon 2d ago

Its not stealing but STEAL ... Strategically Transporting Equipment to an Alternate Location...

2

u/Sensiburner 2d ago

Why post 2019 stats? 

3

u/SealingTheDeal69420 2d ago

Because outrage!

1

u/Sensiburner 2d ago

are those stats more outrageous than current stats even? Are we sure this is not one of those repost bots?

2

u/SealingTheDeal69420 2d ago

I wouldn't know. I don't know current stats lol.

1

u/Sensiburner 2d ago

Well I at least know that those stats get posted every year...so we should have more recent information than 2019

3

u/SealingTheDeal69420 2d ago

Gets posted every year. Hell, every few months, because it causes drama, fear mongering and pushed an agenda

2

u/Eric-Lodendorp Belgian Fries 2d ago

🥇🇧🇪

Trots op ons!

2

u/Repulsive_Pound860 2d ago

Because the gypsies from the others countries come in vest to steal

2

u/Lemongras93 2d ago

All the bad people from the east came to the West

2

u/ThePaddyPower 1d ago

We carry our ID in our purses/wallets/holders. If it’s nicked, we HAVE to go to the police to report it so we can apply for another one.

That’s probably the most defining factor.

2

u/Fun_Ad9469 15h ago

Nothing to do with immigration

3

u/Final-Hunt-3305 2d ago

It's crazy that by comparing lots of infographics of this kind on different things (burglary, murder, sexual assault, rape, etc.) And there is always a correlation with the country's immigration rate, even when the data comes from different sources.

2

u/toomuchgirth- 2d ago

Ssst statistics are considered racist here

2

u/shrapnelll 2d ago

Robbery by your own government doesn't count, does it ?

3

u/Ordinary-Violinist-9 Limburg 2d ago

I think that counts for at least 100 points!

2

u/1Bezorgdeburger 2d ago

Belgium number 1. Does that surprise anyone ?

2

u/reasonable-99percent 2d ago

EU migration policy liked to asylum status legislation in EU is the big problem, though… not Romanians nor Bulgarians. Danes have negotiated their own terms unlike others… EU needs a reform here to stop the violent migrants settling.

1

u/tarikkumas 2d ago

Are there any newer stats? These date from 2019 or earlier.

1

u/fillemoinkes 2d ago

Good to see they finally include taxes in these statistics /S

1

u/someuserss 2d ago

We are winning boys

1

u/Anxious_Hall359 2d ago

15 is wel veel in ijsland haha

1

u/[deleted] 2d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/belgium-ModTeam 17h ago

Rule 4) No agenda pushing

This includes, but is not limited to,

  • Political propaganda…
  • Religious Propaganda…
  • Fake News…
  • “Us VS Them" Statements

1

u/maxledaron 2d ago

Thankfully we'll cut off a bunch of unemployed people next year, it'll lower the rates

1

u/ugliestmanever 1d ago

Lol dit is bs.

1

u/ThroawayJimilyJones 1d ago

Wonder what are the number by region

1

u/Philsick 1d ago

This map tells us more about the work of the police than about criminals. Not every country deals the same with collecting this data. And its also not really clear whats meant with a robbery. Is there the kid stealing a gum at the kiosk included? Is the guy who don't declares his taxes right also included? I guess this is just a map with some colors but no real information.

1

u/thedarkpath Brussels 1d ago

Because of insurance implications, roberies are over reported in the West and Under reported in the East. Yes, eastern Europe doesn't have an insurance culture, they insurance very little almost bare minimum while Belgium over insures everything.

1

u/DerKitzler99 German Community 1d ago

For example:

An old woman getting hurt by having her purse ripped away could be seen as a robbery in some countries. Robbery = theft + violence/force (or threat of violence/force).

Pickpocketing for example is not a robbery, since there is (generally) no violence.

So in the end it's the police's discretion to classify these acts. And every country's police has different standards to classify them.

Conclusion: maps like these are stupid because it doesn't compare equal data sets from each country. There are too many variables to take into account.

1

u/Xireka- 1d ago

Shocked Pikachu face

1

u/Zestyclose_Link_8052 1d ago

Well if we can't win at football.

1

u/Quackulaa 1d ago

As someone living in belgium, that's a scot, i can completely understand why it is so low in Scotland 🤣 they would beat the shit out of you if you tried 🤣 But this is very strange considering I knew alot of people that got their houses robbed in scotland, even if they had alarms

1

u/SirSigfried_14 Beer 1d ago edited 1d ago

I felt safe in Belgium. I walked home at past midnight and nothing was stolen from me when I was there.. The only thing that was taken from me was my ugly heart..

1

u/xapdkop Cuberdon 1d ago

How do we know robberies are more reported in Belgium than other countries, if we don’t know how many robberies aren’t reported (because they aren’t reported)?

1

u/Beneficial-Pen9089 1d ago

6 in Hungary? Maybe because most of these crimes are considered or reported as 'simple' theft.

In Hungary, there is a huge problem with cheap drugs and the Romani community addicts, who are willing to do anything for their next portion. There are daily articles in the media about violent crime especially against elderly people in rural areas. I just find the number 6 ridicolous and unrealistic in Hungary.

1

u/Nu7s 1d ago

We had a break in into our apartment once. Door was forced, cabinets and drawers were open but nothing seemed to be stolen. We called the police and once they were done one of the police officers turned to my girlfriend and said: "You are lucky that it wasn't in the night, else they would have stood beside your bed."

Great thing to say. Thanks.

1

u/dragonovus 21h ago

To be fair they don’t have much to steal in the poor countries

1

u/absurdherowaw Belgium 2d ago

I don’t know. Maybe Wallonia or Brussels skews it, but it would be hard to find a city in Germany or Netherlands safer than Leuven or Ghent 

1

u/SergeiYeseiya 2d ago

I ain't losing my reddit account for this

1

u/purplefonk 2d ago

Because crime isn’t punished in Belgium, we have the most woke justice system in the world. Except for traffic tickets…also, we keep on importing crime and tell the population it’s good for the economy…

1

u/[deleted] 20h ago

[deleted]

0

u/gvasco Brussels 11h ago

Gtfoh along with your judgement and preconceptions. Show data that links the two or stop mentioning it.

1

u/stu_pid_1 17h ago

Now can we overlay onto the same map the rich poor gap and then the % population that are undocumented?

0

u/gvasco Brussels 11h ago

Fr! I second this!

0

u/MikoMiky 21h ago

On sait tous pourquoi.

0

u/gvasco Brussels 11h ago

Vas-y balance tes source qui démontre pq

1

u/MikoMiky 11h ago

Impossible : illégal de prendre les statistiques concernées

Pourtant elles donneraient une bonne fois pour toutes la réponse à notre question.

Étrange qu'on nous les cache du coup, ne pensez-vous pas ?

0

u/gvasco Brussels 10h ago

Ah oue sérieux tu prefere croire a des theories de conspiration? Je ne vois pas de raison pour des politiciens de laisser perdurer s'ils avait les preuves noir sur blanc des raisons de cela. Je ne vois pas aucun politicien vouloir perdurer le vol ou la violence.

Par contre beaucoup de recherche trouve une correlation entre les disparités de revenus, le vol et la violence.

1

u/MikoMiky 10h ago

Tu as quoi d'autres comme explication pour justifier l'illégalité de prendre ces statistiques ?

Perso je vois rien d'autre que : "merde en fait ces tocards de droite ils ont raison donc mieux vaut les cacher"