Portuguese feel insecure

This is the principal conclusion of the «Barómetro segurança, protecção de dados e privacidade em Portugal» (Security barometer, data & privacy protection in Portugal) study, carried out by «ADT Fire & Security» and involving 826 questionnaires throughout the country during the period between 15th November and 23rd December 2009.

In other words, 47.4 per cent of Portuguese consider the streets – which they frequent everyday –the places where they feel least secure.

These opinions represent an 11.5 per cent increase on those aired in 2008.

Approximately eight out of ten Portuguese are prepared to give up their privacy in favour of the installation of CCTV cameras in the streets – to give the feeling of greater security.

The improvement of socio-economic conditions was the third option suggested (by 45.6 per cent of those questioned).

According to all the data received, factors that contribute to the general feeling of insecurity are unemployment (58.9 per cent), immigration (45.1 per cent) and new types of crime (38.3 per cent) – while anti-social behaviour affected the feelings of safety of 54.4 per cent of those interviewed.