Phnom Penh is now a safer city than London, New York, Amsterdam,

Copenhagen and Buenos Aires, although crime rates are still high in

rural areas, according to a new report.

 

The study by Rod Broadhurst and Thierry Bouhours of Australia’s

Griffith University surveyed 1,092 households in the capital and 635 in

Kandal province, comparing the findings with similar sweeps conducted

in 2001 and United Nations crime perception statistics from 26 other

cities across the world.

 

The study said 24 percent of Phnom Penh respondents

reported being a victim of crime in the past year, compared to 46

percent in 2006.

 

“We attribute [the fall in crime] to improvements in local governance,

more wealth, better security and reduction in firearms,” Broadhurst

said by email. However, Phnom Penh is still plagued by high levels of

burglary, corruption and theft, and victimization rates in Kandal have

remained constant since 2001, the report said.

 

While crime rates in the capital are down across the board, the study

found that most victims of crime are still reluctant to report offences

to police. Just 18.3 percent of burglaries and 27.3 percent of assaults

were reported in 2005, according to the report. (Sebastian Strangio)