In the fall of 2019, 60,002 randomly selected citizens in North Rhine-Westphalia were asked about their sense of security and their experiences with crime in a nationally representative population survey. Minister Scharrenbach and Minister Reul have now presented the results.
The Criminalistic-Criminological Research Center (KKF) of the State Criminal Police Office of North Rhine-Westphalia (LKA NRW) was responsible for the content, scientific monitoring and data analysis of the study, which was conducted on behalf of the Ministry of the Interior of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (IM NRW) and the Ministry of Homeland, Municipal Affairs, Building and Gender Equality of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (MHKBG NRW). The survey institute infas - Institute for Applied Social Sciences - was commissioned to conduct the survey.
Survey topics
The state-wide survey provides extensive findings on the topic of safety and on various manifestations of physical, psychological and sexualized violence as well as prejudice-based violence and violence in partnerships. In particular, the following topics are covered:
- Attitudes towards crime and feelings of safety
- Frequency of experiences of violence
- Forms of violence and the contexts in which it occurs
- Reporting behavior of victims of violence
- Health and psychological consequences for victims of violence
- Satisfaction with help services
Aim of the survey
The figures from the police crime statistics (PKS) represent the so-called bright field. These are crimes that have come to the attention of the police. The extent of the dark field, i.e. the crimes that have not been reported to the police, can only be guessed at. However, the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia would like more clarity about the security situation in order to be able to make the best possible decisions on future crime policy and strategy. In addition to structural findings on violent crimes from the light and dark fields, the aim is to record people's sense of security in North Rhine-Westphalia and their satisfaction with the help offered to victims of violent crime. The citizens' perspective is of particular importance in order to be able to professionally shape prevention work and victim protection in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Questions and answers