Law and order survey says Philippines safer than France and Italy

survey
The Gallup survey found that Filipinos feel safer walking the streets at night than people in France and Italy

A global law and order survey has placed the Philippines in the upper half of 135 countries — above nations such as France, South Korea, Italy and Thailand.

Gallup’s 2017 Global Law and Order Index is an annual survey of people’s confidence in their police forces and their personal experiences with crime.

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The Philippines was ranked in 48th place with an index score of 82 — the same as Belgium and Poland and higher than South Korea (81), France (80), Thailand (80) and Italy (80).

Last year, the Philippines ranked 47th with a score of 77.

The poll was based more than 136,000 interviews in 135 countries last year.

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The top five countries on the list are Singapore (97), Uzbekistan (95), Iceland (92), Turkmenistan (91) and Norway (91).

Gallup said high economic development and strong rule of law usually correlated with residents feeling safe walking alone at night.

The report said: “Uzbekistan is the only country surveyed worldwide in which no residents said they had been assaulted or mugged in the past year. However, the country is sometimes described as a police state.

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“Singapore is a remarkable success story by many measures — but it has been subject to criticism regarding civil liberties such as freedom.”

Languishing at the bottom of the index were Venezuela (42), Liberia (53), El Salvador (54), South Sudan (56) and South Africa (58).

The report said: “In 2016, as Venezuela spiralled into disorder, just 12 per cent of residents said they felt safe walking alone at night where they live and 14 per cent expressed confidence in their police.

“Both percentages are not only new lows for Venezuela, but also the lowest scores Gallup has measured worldwide since 2005.”

The Law and Order Index tracks people’s sense of personal security and their personal experiences with crime and law enforcement based on the following four questions:

In the city or area where you live, do you have confidence in the local police force?

Do you feel safe walking alone at night in the city or area where you live?

Within the last 12 months, have you had money or property stolen from you or another household member?

Within the past 12 months, have you been assaulted or mugged?

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