On 2 Dec 2002 at 18:45, Richard Barker wrote:

> Yet in Holland they have the lowest drug use in Europe, big success, in
> my opinion.  All that tax money going to the government rather than
> criminals and all the reduced load on the courts and the police
> service.

Criminal incidents per 100,000 population: (source Interpol)

Australia (2000):
Homicides:              3.62
Sexual Assault: 81.60
Serious Assault:        736.79
Theft                   6,653.18
Drugs:                  Not Reported

Canada (2000):
Homicides:              4.25
Sexual Assault: 78.21
Serious Assault:        145.87
Theft                   4,070.45
Drugs:                  286.00

Germany (2000):
Homicides:              3.37
Sexual Assault: 63.41
Serious Assault:        142.29
Theft                   3,703.21
Drugs:                  297.38

Netherlands (1998):
Homicides:              10.87
Sexual Assault: 42.42
Serious Assault:        242.77
Theft                   5,302.51
Drugs:                  87.00

Sweden (1998):
Homicides:              10.38
Sexual Assault: 94.89
Serious Assault:        44.82
Theft                   8,170.76
Drugs:                  367.60

United Kingdom (E&W 1998):
Homicides:              2.75
Sexual Assault: 69.55
Serious Assault:        405.20
Theft                   6,174.71
Drugs:                  261.19

United States (2000):
Homicides:              5.51
Sexual Assault: 46.90
Serious Assault:        56.90
Theft                   3,762.78
Drugs:                  not reported

Not much to choose from in my opinion.  You have double the
chance of being killed in the US than in UK, but an Englishman has
eight times the likelihood of an American being seriously injured by
an assailant.  One wonders if foreknowledge of an unarmed
populace encourages physical aggression?  A Swede has more
than twice the likelihood of an American to be killed but about the
same probability of being seriously assaulted.  Australia doesn't
seem to be a very friendly place either.

Canada and Germany seem about equivalent.

Theft is a big cost to society, the losses have to be made good
either by the victim or their insurance and the state has to
investigate each reported incident.

All I can say about Holland is that if you value your safety more than
intoxication, stay away.

Regards,
Jim





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