No increase in crime resulting from migrant crisis: Austrian institute

Despite concerns that the large waves of refugees entering Austria since the start of the migrant crisis in 2015 has lead to increased criminality, this has not actually transpired, a Vienna-based research center has stated.

The Kurier newspaper reported the Vienna Center for Societal Security (VICESSE) Wednesday as saying that while crime from asylum seekers did increase from about 10,000 incidents in 2014 to 14,000 last year, the number of asylum applications tripled over the same time to reach about 100,000.

"In relation that is a reduction, and these are not convictions but reports to police," Norbert Leonhardmair from VICESSE said.

He said the present sense of insecurity in the populace is not supported by concrete figures, and rather comes from the "job situation, the feeling in the neighborhood, or even through relationship problems."

He added that these factors, that include economic concerns, stir fears of criminality that are projected onto asylum seekers.

The report also quoted a source from the Interior Ministry, who noted that while fears of increased criminality have led people to take more extreme measures such as the formation of vigilante groups and an increase in firearm purchases, crime is in fact at its lowest point in decades. Endit