Police, judges regard migrants suspiciously
Nine in 10 Greek judges and policemen believe that some of the approximately 1 million immigrants living in the country are to some degree responsible for the rise in crime over recent years, according to a study published yesterday. More than 88 percent of judges and over 93 percent of police officers believe that migrants are either totally or partially to blame for an increase in the crime rate over the last decade, according to a survey conducted by Evangelia Vagena-Paleologou, a doctor of criminology and a judicial official. Nine in 10 judges also describe the number of migrants living in Greece as «high» or «very high,» while almost three-quarters of policemen say that the presence of foreigners in Greece has exacerbated unemployment. Some 1 million immigrants make up just over a 10th of the population in Greece. Of the 250 judges who took part in the survey, three-quarters felt that the public has a negative view of migrants. Half of the 412 policemen questioned said they believe that Greeks are racist and almost 14 percent said they thought immigrants should be treated more strictly than Greeks.
