Fear of Crime in Belgrade

Abstract

This paper reports research findings from the capital city of Yugoslavia, Belgrade. Both fear of crime and opportunity theory suggestions were tested. Differences in victimization experience influencing day/night time fear of crime, as well as differences in day/night time fear of crime influences on routine activities, were examined. Other factors influencing fear of specific crimes were examined.

The research was carried out on a random sample comprising 400 respondents living in four Belgrade municipalities. The results of this research show that there exists a feeling of unsafeness in relation to criminal behavior. This feeling, of fear of crime, is more strongly felt at night than in daytime, and to a large extent represents a reflection of the objective risk of victimization. This is especially true of people who indicated fear of daytime crime. People tend to constrain and/or change their routine activities as a consequence of fear of crime; this tendency positively correlates with their level of fear. People who are afraid of daytime crime are more often constrained in their behavior than are those who fear night time crime.