Justice, Protection and Ethics

Picturing Victimization in the City of Bari/Italy

On the 19th of June 2008 the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) and the City Hall of Bari signed an agreement in order to carry out the project Picturing Victimization in the City of Bari/Italy. Within this project, UNICRI together with its counterpart, the City Hall of Bari, intends to carry out an empirical comparative survey in the area of crime prevention with particular emphasis on victimization risks and experiences of citizens on urban crime.

In the past years, the pattern of urban crime has changed in the city of Bari and in the Region of Puglia. Analyzing the relevant data for the survey to be carried out, it is visible that damages, injuries, armed robbery, threats, insults and assaults have nearly remained constant during the past four years. Theft is by far the most common crime committed in Bari. In particular, theft of cars is the most common among this type of crime. However, the perception of safety in Bari is difficult to measure, because of a severe lack of data concerning victimization and sensitivity of security, in specific urban security, of the neighbourhoods of the city.

For this reason, the survey will serve to give an empirical overview of what the perception of urban security is in order support potential policies on crime prevention, if needed, to be then implemented by the City of Bari. Taking advantage of the previous experience of the project International Crime Victim Survey (ICVS), the citizens of Bari will be interviewed on their earlier experiences with this type of urban crime, as well as their prior contacts with law enforcement personnel.

The data collected will show the actual victimization rate of the citizens and speculations will no longer provide a breeding ground for an over- or underestimation of crime and thus, unjustified crime perception. The information collected may then be used for recommendations for the development of policies in the fight against urban crime, so that the required assistance can be provided to the society. Finally, the examination of the level of satisfaction of citizens with police activities aims to lead to a better collaboration between municipal bodies and community.

The results of the survey will be included in a final publication to be potentially used, if needed, in future policies on crime prevention to be implemented by the City of Bari. Overall, the victimization survey will be a pilot project to be applied to other cities throughout Europe, providing a nationwide amelioration of policies on security.