Do you feel safe in Ireland?

kerryman12

prinz wrote: »

There is more to feeling safe than not being directly affected by crime. Which some people apparently can't understand.

of course there is, hence the first part of the post

prinz

kerryman12 wrote: »

of course there is, hence the first part of the post

The first part of the post is irrelevant. Being bullied is not a 'state of mind'. Having little brats block you on the street and verbally abuse you is not about your 'state of mind'.

maninasia

Pace2008 wrote: »

I think in foreign countries, our perception of the general threat level may not be accurate.

It can go both ways: one might feel uncomfortable in unfamiliar surroundings, and perceive a sense of danger when there is none. On the flip side, in Ireland I'd generally be able to recognise through experience a group of potential knackers by dress-sense, accent and mannersims, whereas in foreign countries I wouldn't be nearly as familiar with the tell-tale signs with which I could identify unsavoury sorts.

Ah hah, but in Ireland it's not only knackers who get kicks from 'kicking off' but large parts of the population are quite agressive after drink/drugs. I was back in Ireland recently for a quick trip, some drunk dude randomly lashed out at me on the street (wanted to start a fight, two against one, they were obviously drunk and frustrated about something looking for a target), has never happened to me in 15 years of living in Asia...not once!

maninasia

Dudess wrote: »

I certainly do. Yes of course there are pockets which are unsafe, but overall it is an extremely safe country.

Compared to where..this really makes me laugh.

maninasia

Shenshen wrote: »

The source data is the Eighth United Nations Survey on Crime Trends and the Operations of Criminal Justice Systems (2002) (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Centre for International Crime Prevention), according to the web site.

And don't think that it's particular to Ireland that most murders and rapes are committed by people who are related or friends of the victims, that is a global issue.
But true, the statistic could only take into account reported incidents, which is why I guess Mexico is so far down in the list.

Don't compare Ireland to Mexico, Brazil etc...total disasters of countries!

kerryman12

The first part of the post is irrelevant. Being bullied is not a 'state of mind'. Having little brats block you on the street and verbally abuse you is not about your 'state of mind'.

of course its not, but you can choose how you react to it. I might live in an area with no crime and still be paranoid about it.
Alternatively I might live in a not so nice place but consider it home.

if you have specific experiance then of course that will change you outlook but most people only every hear about something that happened to someone else - hence my point

maninasia

I doubt that, I'd say most people have been touched by crime personally in Dublin. Cars burnt out, cars and houses robbed, random scumbags causing trouble/hassle/muggings, violent drunks, junkies shoplifting etc.

Shenshen

prinz wrote: »

There is more to feeling safe than not being directly affected by crime. Which some people apparently can't understand. I am sure the kid getting bullied day in, day out at school feels 'safer' because what's happening to him technically may not be a 'crime'.

I think there is a difference between perceived threats and a feeling of not being safe resulting from that, and actual threats.

In the time I've been here I noticed that the Irish (generally speaking) seem to perceive a lot more threats than there actually are, and feel unsafe accordingly.
As I said, German media tend not to report crime and violent crime anywhere near as much as, say, RTE does. When I first started watching the news here I was rather surprised that things like arson and the like got reported with odd regularity. You wouldn't get this on German TV, the only time this would get reported if it is a really extreme case like the case of the cannibal, or the businessman getting beaten to death by youths on a normal afternoon on a tram in Munich.
So I think that this over-information about what lurks out there is affecting people's perception of how safe they actually are, and making them feel very unsafe.

prinz

Shenshen wrote: »

I think there is a difference between perceived threats and a feeling of not being safe resulting from that, and actual threats..

That's great, but none of the things I have mentioned have been perceived... and I have heard similar from many, many people.

kerryman12

maninasia wrote: »

I doubt that, I'd say most people have been touched by crime personally in Dublin. Cars burnt out, cars and houses robbed, random scumbags causing trouble/hassle/muggings, violent drunks, junkies shoplifting etc.

You cant think about this stuff in terms of locations, that is a mistake IMO.

AS I was growing up in rural Kerry, we had the following happen

Graffiti coving house, not saying nice stuff
personal proprty damaged
break ins and theft in remote locations
threats of personal injuiry and more to my father

But that place is still my home and I will always make sure I feel safe at home.

I attended college in both Limerick and Tralee. I never saw any trouble in all my years in Limerick - never. And saw plenty of guys getting mauled in Tralee.

Shenshen

prinz wrote: »

That's great, but none of the things I have mentioned have been perceived... and I have heard similar from many, many people.

So do you seriously think that incidents of bullying and harassment are lower in other Western countries?
Not in my experience...

jpm4

Pace2008 wrote: »

I think in foreign countries, our perception of the general threat level may not be accurate.

It can go both ways: one might feel uncomfortable in unfamiliar surroundings, and perceive a sense of danger when there is none. On the flip side, in Ireland I'd generally be able to recognise through experience a group of potential knackers by dress-sense, accent and mannersims, whereas in foreign countries I wouldn't be nearly as familiar with the tell-tale signs with which I could identify unsavoury sorts.

Great poin t- if people are using a couple of weeks holidays in safe, touristy areas of main European citys as a comparision with years of living in a typical Dublin suburb, then you are simply not comparing like with like. How much more likely are you to experience unsavoury behaviour in a city you live most of your life in compared to places you spend a few weeks in?

maninasia

Certainly bullying is more serious in Ireland compared to Asia, at least from my experience. But bullying does happen everywhere, it's the nature of kids.

prinz

Shenshen wrote: »

So do you seriously think that incidents of bullying and harassment are lower in other Western countries?
Not in my experience...

Great, it is in mine. I have never been spat on, verbally abused, physically abused, assaulted and intimidated anywhere else. Then again I am not referring to schoolyard bullying.

Shenshen

prinz wrote: »

Great, it is in mine. I have never been spat on, verbally abused, physically abused, assaulted and intimidated anywhere else.

Just out of interest, how much time have you spent anywhere else compared to in Ireland?

maninasia

jpm4 wrote: »

Great poin t- if people are using a couple of weeks holidays in safe, touristy areas of main European citys as a comparision with years of living in a typical Dublin suburb, then you are simply not comparing like with like. How much more likely are you to experience unsavoury behaviour in a city you live most of your life in compared to places you spend a few weeks in?

Lots of posters including myself have lived in multiple countries worldwide, Ireland has a higher general feeling of unease due to the chance of randomers kicking up trouble at any time than many of the countries we visited or lived in...in my mind that's due to the general passiveness of law enforcement, cultural ambivalence to violence, drink and drugs.

I have spent over 10 years in Asia , this is absolutely my experience! -I have never been spat on, verbally abused, physically abused, assaulted and intimidated-

prinz

Shenshen wrote: »

Just out of interest, how much time have you spent anywhere else compared to in Ireland?

I have spent about two and a half years abroad, France (in two cities), Germany (again a number of places), Belgium and in the US. Compared to that I have only lived in Dublin for a little longer.

Shenshen

prinz wrote: »

I have spent about two and a half years abroad, France (in two cities), Germany (again a number of places), Belgium and in the US.

I really don't want to come across as a smart-arse, but with having spent most of your life in Ireland, if you were to become the victim of assault or bullying, chances are it would happen in Ireland, wouldn't it?

I've lived here for near enough a decade now and haven't been the victim of any harassment or anything, but have made such experiences while I grew up in Germany.
I've also lived in Canada for a while, and while I haven't had any negative experiences there either I wouldn't fool myself on how safe living there is. I was there for too short a time to really know.

I wouldn't exactly feel unsafe in Germany, or anywhere in Europe, but I do feel safer here than I would in many other places.

Dudess

maninasia wrote: »

Compared to where..this really makes me laugh.

It makes me laugh even more that you'd actually think Ireland overall is unsafe. Compared to where? Vast chunks of Latin America, Africa, Eurasia, Asia.

Micky Dolenz

If you think Ireland is unsafe, don't even think about travelling the world.

prinz

Shenshen wrote: »

I really don't want to come across as a smart-arse, but with having spent most of your life in Ireland, if you were to become the victim of assault or bullying, chances are it would happen in Ireland, wouldn't it?..

Seeing as they all happened in Dublin in the last couple of years, and I have lived in Dublin for roughly the same length of time as I have spent abroad I'd say the chances are about equal.

Shenshen wrote: »

I've lived here for near enough a decade now and haven't been the victim of any harassment or anything, but have made such experiences while I grew up in Germany..

....and didn't I say I wouldn't expect it to happen in most of the country? This thread isn't "Is Ireland more dangerous than X?".... it's "Do you feel safe in Ireland", like I have said I have felt safer living in other cities than I do living in Dublin.

maninasia

If you want to compare Ireland to 3rd world countries or countries with murder statistics that make the Afghanistan war look good be my guest.

Ireland is not as safe as it should be for it's level of development, there's an issue there and it's clear if you live and travel around Asia or large parts of Europe with a similar level of economic and infrastructure development (no I don't compare to UK because UK suffers from the same severe anti-social issues yet weak law enforcement as in Ireland).

maninasia

Micky Dolenz wrote: »

If you think Ireland is unsafe, don't even think about travelling the world.

I have travelled the world, the problem is your LOW expectations from your own living environment, why is it not SAFER. Why is it seemingly (and probably in reality) becoming more unsafe? Also the feeling of safety does not have to be relative, the question is, 'do you feel safe in Ireland'...read the question folks!

Don't compare a smelly turd with an even bigger smellier turd! It's like the kid who gets a D in a test but proudly protests he didn't fail.


Alcohol, drugs, weak law enforcement, out of date justice system?

Pace2008

maninasia wrote: »

Ah hah, but in Ireland it's not only knackers who get kicks from 'kicking off' but large parts of the population are quite agressive after drink/drugs. I was back in Ireland recently for a quick trip, some drunk dude randomly lashed out at me on the street (wanted to start a fight, two against one, they were obviously drunk and frustrated about something looking for a target), has never happened to me in 15 years of living in Asia...not once!

Sorry, you're addressing someone who's a stickler when it comes to the use of "drugs" as a catch-all term for a wide array of substances with different effects - you wouldn't expect much trouble from a group on MDMA, for example.

I’d agree that booze and coke coke can make criminals of normally calm people, and sociopaths of those of a less placid inclination. Doubly so when they’re used in conjunction which, in Ireland, they invariably are.

enda1

Ireland is an exceedingly safe place.

Not saying its perfect or the safest place on Earth, but its damn good.
Places I've though were even better - Japan. That's all.

Everywhere else I've been I've felt were less safe.
Every British city I've been to, every French, German, Russian, American, Canadian, Belgian, Spanish, etc. etc.

Dublin feels to me safer than any of these. The closest I've felt to Dublin was in Berlin, Madrid and Boston. Though I'd have to spend more time in each to be sure.

To this day I've not been in a fight in Dublin, nor been robbed in any way, and neither have my closer friends (at least not that I know of), whereas the same can not be said for incidents I've experienced first/second hand in other places.

maninasia

Don't know where you live or what you do but it's completely the opposite of my experience of Dublin and large parts of Ireland. Fights are a common part of going to school in Ireland, ever enter Dublin on a Friday/Saturday night, it's electric and buzzing early on but as the night wears on and the frustrated drunks emerge en-masse on the street you can cut the air with a knife. I used to cycle down O'Connell street on Sat nights, would literally have to veer out of the way of random drunk people shouting, trying to block the bike etc...bizarre.
Go into a chipper in the city centre or any suburb? Take a bus? Take a dart? Hang around a dart station? Stealing cars, burning them out, stealing and vandalising private and public property...always been endemic in Ireland. Muggings not so much but I hear they are on the increase.

BTW, there are more countries like Japan out there and then many that fit in between Ireland's level of general 'unsafeness/random petty crime' and Japan's level of safeness.

Pace2008

Here’s an important observation to bear in mind in discussions such as these, where people are matching anecdote with anecdote as a means to back up their argument:

The experiences of the individual do not necessarily accurately represent those of the population as a whole.

prinz

Pace2008 wrote: »

The experiences of the individual do not necessarily accurately represent those of the population as a whole.

Which is precisely why some people need to read the question again. Nothing wrong with personal anecdotes to back up personal feelings.

Pace2008

prinz wrote: »

Which is precisely why some people need to read the question again.

Absolutely, I originally addressed the question as it was asked.

That was aimed more at the poster who seems to be categorically stating that Ireland is less safe than other countries because they've been around the world and have encountered more trouble here than elsewhere.

maninasia

I think it's obvious that there are many small incidences of crime or threatening behaviour around Ireland in plain sight everyday. I can't see how anybody can't see that on an objective level. Take a bus, take a dart, go into any town/city centre on a Friday or Saturday night.

Then it comes down to the fact on whether YOU personally feel unsafe or not. You might genuinely not feel the danger. Maybe if you travel more you can change your views and come back and think Ireland is safer, or less safe in your own opinion (it's a bit like happiness no matter how much money you have...it is supposedly all relative except for those in abject poverty).

Dudess

It's truly ludicrous to say Ireland overall is unsafe. Of course there are pockets of it where people feel constantly threatened - and it's absolutely horrible that such places exist - but these do not make up the full picture by a long shot.

kuntboy

Lol@ asia being safe. Northeast Asia and China (police state) maybe.
South-East Asia is not safe.

cocoshovel

Nope. I live in the countryside and I don't even feel safe here.

Chuchoter

Not really, maybe I would feel different if I were 6 foot tall and a man and able to defend myself but as myself I don't feel safe out by myself when its dark most of the time. Its just that there is no punishment for things like rape/assault/mugging. No-one ever seems to get charged.

Chinasea

no I do not think it is safe - especially if you are a non white e

Dudess

kuntboy wrote: »

Lol@ asia being safe. Northeast Asia and China (police state) maybe.
South-East Asia is not safe.

Yeah Japan is has extremely low levels of crime all right but that's hardly representative of Asia.

cocoshovel wrote: »

Nope. I live in the countryside and I don't even feel safe here.

crayolastereo wrote: »

Not really, maybe I would feel different if I were 6 foot tall and a man and able to defend myself but as myself I don't feel safe out by myself when its dark most of the time. Its just that there is no punishment for things like rape/assault/mugging. No-one ever seems to get charged.

Tbh, that just seems more like a fear of something happening (which could be applied to anywhere) rather than feeling unsafe because of stuff that's actually going on.

Chuchoter

Japan is very bad for crimes against women though, they had to open up whole new train cars specially for women only because of the level of men groping girls was so high

Mrmoe

Perceptions do not always meet reality. Ireland is very safe in comparison to many other countries. Here is a review listing the top 10 safest countries in the world. Ireland makes it in to the top 10 safest countries.

The green island famous for its culture, whiskey and beer is also one of the safest countries in the world. It has one of the lowest homicide rates in Europe – 0.32 per 100,000 people. The numbers also show that Dublin is far less dangerous than the major cities in Japan, Australia or Canada!

http://www.tourism-review.com/top-10-safest-countries-in-the-world-news2185

davrho

Being brought up in Glasgow then moving to Dublin just over 10 years ago I feel it a lot safer over here.

Just to add I have had weekends in Newry,Belfast,Kilkenny,Waterford,Cork and a few rural towns and all have felt way safer than a night out in Glasgow city centre.

Kimono-Girl

I feel safe in cork, to be honest where i am is a safe place to live. occasionally there is trouble but nothing too bad.

shampon

maybe if everybody weren't the following: spoiled Mammies Boy's/Daddy's Little Girls, Shut In's afraid of shadows, Scumbag Drug Dealers, Scaldy junkies, afraid to play in the muck and became realistic about life and death then we might not be a nation of pansies.

"According to a certain person, a number of years ago Matsuguma Kyoan told this story :
In the practice of medicine there is a differentiation of treatment according to the Yin and Yang of men and women.
There is also a difference in pulse. In the last fifty years, however, men's pulse has become the same as women's.
Noticing this, in the treatment of eye disease I applied women's treatment to men and found it suitable. When I
observed the application of men's treatment to men, there was no result. Thus I knew that men's spirit had weakened
and that they had become the same as women, and the end of the world had come. Since I witnessed this with
certainty, I kept it a secret.
When looking at the men of today with this in mind, those who could be thought to have a woman's pulse are many
indeed, and those who seem like real men few. Because of this, if one were to make a little effort, he would be able to
take the upper hand quite easily. That there are few men who arc able to cut well in beheadings is further proof that
men's courage has waned. And when one comes to speak of kaishaku, it has become an age of men who are prudent
and clever at making excuses. Forty or fifty years ago, when such things as matanuki were considered manly, a man
wouldn't show an unscarred thigh to his fellows, so he would pierce it himself.
All of man's work is a bloody business. That fact, today, is considered foolish, affairs are finished cleverly with words
alone, and jobs that require effort are avoided. I would like young men to have some understanding of this."

Chuchoter

Nice to know being female is indicative of the end of the world :rolleyes:

shampon

crayolastereo wrote: »

Nice to know being female is indicative of the end of the world :rolleyes:

Maybe in your perfect Little Mrs World. Jeezus@thepentagon.

legend365

You beat scumbag - you get 3 years.

Scumbag beats you up - he gets slap on wrist.


If you were attacked which would you rather be?

kowloon

shampon wrote: »

maybe if everybody weren't the following: spoiled Mammies Boy's/Daddy's Little Girls, Shut In's afraid of shadows, Scumbag Drug Dealers, Scaldy junkies, afraid to play in the muck and became realistic about life and death then we might not be a nation of pansies.

"According to a certain person, a number of years ago Matsuguma Kyoan told this story :
In the practice of medicine there is a differentiation of treatment according to the Yin and Yang of men and women.
There is also a difference in pulse. In the last fifty years, however, men's pulse has become the same as women's.
Noticing this, in the treatment of eye disease I applied women's treatment to men and found it suitable. When I
observed the application of men's treatment to men, there was no result. Thus I knew that men's spirit had weakened
and that they had become the same as women, and the end of the world had come. Since I witnessed this with
certainty, I kept it a secret.
When looking at the men of today with this in mind, those who could be thought to have a woman's pulse are many
indeed, and those who seem like real men few. Because of this, if one were to make a little effort, he would be able to
take the upper hand quite easily. That there are few men who arc able to cut well in beheadings is further proof that
men's courage has waned. And when one comes to speak of kaishaku, it has become an age of men who are prudent
and clever at making excuses. Forty or fifty years ago, when such things as matanuki were considered manly, a man
wouldn't show an unscarred thigh to his fellows, so he would pierce it himself.
All of man's work is a bloody business. That fact, today, is considered foolish, affairs are finished cleverly with words
alone, and jobs that require effort are avoided. I would like young men to have some understanding of this."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjQP9931NhU

HavingCrack

Op what do you mean?? Are you just talking about crime or in general?

Because in Ireland we don't have
1-Hurricanes
2-Tornadoes
3-Earthquakes
4-Warfare
5-Terrorism (anymore thankfully)
6-Massive levels of disease
7-A police state
8-Drug wars a la Mexico

I could go on.

If you're talking about crime alone, most Irish cities rank quite low on the scale mostly due to size. Oddly enough the most violent and crime plagued city in Europe per capita is Brussels of all places.

However as many people have said in most other European and North American cities crime is confined to certain areas that you don't go into whereas in Ireland even O'Connell street in Dublin is infested with scumbags and junkies at 1 o clock in the daytime while a night out in Irish cities has far higher levels of aggression than anywhere I've seen.

As a point of interest I feel far, far, far safer on nights out in Belfast than I do in Dublin or Galway. There just doesn't seem to be the same scumbaggery element present or maybe it's not tolerated.

shampon

legend365 wrote: »

You beat scumbag - you get 3 years.

Scumbag beats you up - he gets slap on wrist.


If you were attacked which would you rather be?

What is the point on going and beating up a scumbag for no reason. If you go around beating people up you deserve the three years if however, he actually defends himself and beats you he deserves the slap on the wrist.

PeterIanStaker

Safe enough I suppose.

maninasia

davrho wrote: »

Being brought up in Glasgow then moving to Dublin just over 10 years ago I feel it a lot safer over here.

Just to add I have had weekends in Newry,Belfast,Kilkenny,Waterford,Cork and a few rural towns and all have felt way safer than a night out in Glasgow city centre.

You are from Glasgow after all!

maninasia

Mrmoe wrote: »

Perceptions do not always meet reality. Ireland is very safe in comparison to many other countries. Here is a review listing the top 10 safest countries in the world. Ireland makes it in to the top 10 safest countries.



http://www.tourism-review.com/top-10-safest-countries-in-the-world-news2185

Absolute BS that list. Half of them are little islands, thrown together it was. Are we saying Norway or Finland or the average city in Germany or Holland is going to be rougher than Ireland?
Also large countries obviously have pockets of high crime areas and then areas of hardly any crime. Then you've got countries like Korea and Taiwan that are super safe not mentioned at all! Then there's people who have probably never been to Japan saying it's 'crime-ridden' cos of a few dodgy pervs on the train even though they have women only carriages first, a trend that has been copied all around the world!