In crisis-stricken Greece, other than unemployment which has hit record high, Athens is facing a big jump in thefts, robberies and burglaries that have been showing an upward trend since 2007, when the country’s recession began just ahead of a need for bailouts.
According to Bloomberg, Greece now leads the European Union in unemployment as well as burglaries.
Economist Niraj Shah said burglaries in Greece are up a stunning 63, compared to 53.5 percent in Spain, which is also undergoing hard times.
This compares with a European-Union-wide average increase of 7%. Cyprus and Portugal, which have also needed international aid, have seen a 20 percent increase in thefts.
With unemployment rates showing no signs of slowing, there is great fear that this trend will only get worse as the divide between the haves and have-nothings increases, said Shah.
It was noted that austerity combined with high unemployment has historically always brought increased social unrest and it’s happening again as Greece and the governments of other countries hit by an economic downturn have done little about it.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
