Πηγή: OSAC
Overall Crime and Safety Situation
Crime Threats
Statistics suggest that violent crime in Greece is considerably less prevalent than in other European countries. Athens is safer in terms of violent crime than comparably sized metropolitan cities. However, there has been a dramatic and steady increase in security related incidents involving improvised explosive and incendiary device attacks, as well as small arms, grenades, and other infantry style weapons. A majority of the increased attacks are politically motivated incidents that usually have a specific target of interest. Armed violence and random assaults are still somewhat uncommon, but rates of street crimes, such as pick pocketing, purse snatchings, and other crimes of opportunity, appear to remain steady. Statistics for attempted and committed armed bank robberies have increased in Greece over the last two years. Reported crime statistics indicate that fraud related crimes and sexual assault crimes remain low in relation to population size. Cyber-crimes are also low in relation to population size but appear to be gradually increasing.
Police have reported a significant increase in burglaries of unoccupied homes and apartments, as well as theft from attended and unattended vehicles with valuables left in plain sight. “Smash & Grab” thefts are a recurring phenomenon. A common ploy is for a criminal to approach a vehicle from the passenger side and to smash the window and grab objects from the passenger seat. This most often occurs while someone is waiting at a traffic light or stop sign. Over the last year, there were high reported incidents of pick-pocketing and theft mainly targeting passengers utilizing the city Metro system. Many of the incidents reported were well coordinated by two or three culprits drawing the attention of the unsuspecting passenger with a call or request for assistance while personal belongings were covertly taken. Nearly all of the incidents reported occurred in the Metro system and increase around the holiday shopping seasons.
Road Safety
A combination of human factors, poor road designs, and a general disregard for safe driving practices result in hazardous conditions on Greek roadways for both pedestrians and motorists. The massive infrastructure improvements and road construction projects completed in 2004 alleviated some of the congestion in Athens, but a steady increase in the volume of traffic each year decreases the positive impact of these improvements.
The rate of serious vehicular accidents is substantially higher in Greece than in the U.S. and the rest of Europe. Greece continues to hold one of the highest rates within the European Union in per-capita traffic fatalities. Extreme caution should be used when driving in Greece, especially in Athens and other major cities. Most accidents occur between 5:00 pm and 4:00 am, with accidents peaking in August. Excessive speed, inattention, driving in the opposite direction, non-compliance with right of way, and drinking are major factors for accidents. Motorcycles and scooters normally drive between lanes and weave in and out of both moving and stopped traffic, posing significant risk to pedestrians. The severity of injuries is exacerbated by the widespread failure to use safety belts (only an estimated 26.3 percent of drivers and 14.1 percent passengers wear safety belts) and motorcycle helmets (only an estimated 29.8 percent of motorcycle drivers and 5.7 percent passengers wear helmets). The ability to deliver effective medical treatment following accidents is poor. Response time to accident scenes in Athens is significantly slower than in the U.S. due to a higher density of vehicular traffic. An International Drivers License is required by Greek law.
Political Violence
Historical Perspective
Demonstrations take place in Athens and Thessaloniki on an almost daily basis. Many demonstrations are normally organized by labor unions or student groups and are directed against the Greek Government. Protests in both cities take place around the city centers, and traffic can be seriously delayed as a result. Most protests and demonstrations are peaceful, but violent anarchist groups often attach themselves to demonstrations and clash violently with the police. A common practice of anarchist groups is to march towards the city center from the university areas and smash windows and burn vehicles and/or storefronts along the way. It is best to avoid the public university areas during these times. Police are generally forbidden from entering university campuses since the fall of the military dictatorship that suppressed a student rebellion at the Athens Polytechnic in 1973 in which at least 23 people were killed. As a result, violent anarchists use campuses as a safe base of operations.
In 2010, there was an increase in demonstrations, strikes, and work stoppages due to the economic crisis and in protest of the economic austerity measures that were implemented. This year alone, Athens was hit with seven general strikes, grounding flights, ferry cancellations, halting trains and public transportation, and the closing of government offices and schools. In addition to the austerity measures, many protests were directed toward the International Monetary Fund and the EU, as they were viewed by many Greeks to be offering an unfair lending rate on their $147 Billion debt rescue plan designed to help Greece pull its economy out of crisis.
Regional Terrorism and Organized Crime
Athens is designated a high-threat post for political violence based on the high number of demonstrations directed against the Greek government and the U.S. Embassy (40+ annually). Anarchists often burn vehicles and businesses and attack police stations in central Athens and Thessaloniki.
The last assassination of an official American in Greece occurred in 1991. The last assassination attributed to the terrorist group 17 November (17N) was the June 2000 murder of Stephen Saunders, the British Defense Attaché who was ambushed on a busy Athens thoroughfare on his way to work. 17N was responsible for 103 attacks with 23 killings altogether, of which five were Americans. The Greek Government arrested and prosecuted many of the members of 17N in the run-up to the 2004 Olympics. In 2007, the U.S. Embassy was hit by a mortar attack by another prominent local terrorist group, Revolutionary Struggle.
Police actively continue to pursue members still at large involved in other domestic terrorist groups, including Revolutionary Nuclei, Revolutionary Peoples’ Struggle, People’s Revolutionary Struggle, Revolutionary Struggle, the People’s Will, and some relatively new domestic terrorist groups identifying themselves as the Armed Revolutionary Action, the Sect of Revolutionaries, the Conspiracy of Nuclei of Fire, the Guerrilla Group of Terrorists, and the Revolutionary Organization of 6th of December.
In 2010, a total of 27 terrorist attacks were claimed by various indigenous terrorist groups. The Conspiracy of Nuclei of Fire claimed responsibility for 21 attacks. The organization used improvised explosive devices and targeted mainly state and judicial targets. They also claimed responsibility for the series of package bombs that targeted foreign embassies and offices in and out of Greece in November 2010. In June 2010, a package bomb detonated in the hands of an aid at the Ministry of Citizen’s Protection immediately outside the Minister’s office, killing the police officer. Police are still investigating this terrorist act. To date, no group has claimed responsibility. Revolutionary Continuity claimed responsibility for an attack against the JP Morgan offices in February 2010.
This year, the police have arrested several suspected members of both Revolutionary Struggle and Conspiracy of Nuclei of Fire and have issued warrants for additional suspects. Police continue to pursue members of various domestic groups through investigations and daily operations while examining the possibility of potential collaboration between the various indigenous groups.
International or Transnational Terrorism
International Terrorism continues to be a concern as movement between European Union countries is less restrictive. Greece has specific concerns due to its close proximity to the Middle East and Africa. It is, for many, the first point of entry into the Schengen Area. Due to its expansive water and land borders, it is difficult for Greek authorities to effectively control movement into and out of the country. At the same time, Greece continues to be the primary entry point into the EU for illegal immigrants, raising concern that Greece itself could be more vulnerable to international terrorism and be used as a transit route for international terrorists travelling to Europe and the United States. Greece accounted for over 90 percent of the illegal immigrants detained at the European Union’s external border in 2010. Greece does have a solid counter-terrorism unit that works closely with the U.S. Embassy, but the true extent of any international terrorist threat present within Greece cannot be definitively characterized.
Civil Unrest
Major U.S. multinational companies have been victims of bomb, rocket, and firebomb attacks by anarchists over the years, resulting in extensive property damage. Citibank ATMs have always been a favored target as well. To date, attacks against U.S. business interests appear to have been conducted with the intent of causing physical damage only.
Attacks conducted against the Hellenic police appear to be dramatically increasing, and the anarchists’ actions appear to be getting bolder. There were several incidents in the past involving attacks against police stations.
Post Specific Concerns
Environmental Hazards
Greece continues to be at risk for earthquakes based on an extensive history of quakes in the region. Greece is considered a “3” or “High” for levels of seismicity (on a scale of 0-4). On January 8, 2006, Greece experienced a 6.8 (Richter scale) earthquake. Prior to that, an earthquake registering 6.3 occurred on August 14, 2003. The 2003 earthquake occurred in northern Greece, a highly geological active region. There is a magnitude 5 or larger earthquake about every two years within 60 km of this recent earthquake. The 1999 earthquake near Athens killed over 140 people, injured hundreds more, and caused disruption to normal life for several days.
In August of 2009, fires razed much of the area in and around Pentelis Mountain, just 8km outside of the city center of Athens. Additional large forest fires burned in and around the area of Megara situated midway between Athens and Korinthos. High winds significantly contributed to large areas being ravaged by the blazes. Although most of the devastation occurred in uninhabited forestry type areas, hundreds of local residents sustained severe material losses. As with the fires of 2007, subsequent investigations have provided conflicting reports of the exact cause and origin of the fires.
Kidnappings
Kidnappings in Greece are an increasing concern for law enforcement authorities. Organized crime is on the rise in Greece to include a focus on kidnapping for ransoms and trafficking of persons and drugs. It is not known if organized crime networks are responsible for many of the kidnapping for ransom schemes or if domestic terrorism groups are committing these crimes in an attempt to extort funds to support ongoing terrorist activities. Police continue to investigate the possibility of collaboration between organized crime networks and the domestic terrorist groups.
Drugs and Narcoterrorism
Greece is a “gateway” country in the transit of illicit drugs and contraband. Although not a major transit country for drugs headed for the United States, Greece is part of the traditional “Balkan Route” for drugs flowing from drug-producing countries in the east to drug-consuming countries in Western Europe. Greek authorities report that drug abuse and addiction continue to climb in Greece as the age for first-time drug use drops. Drug trafficking remains a significant issue for Greece in its battle against organized crime. Investigations initiated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and its Greek counterparts suggest that a dramatic rise has occurred in the number and size of drug trafficking organizations operating in Greece. During 2010, the U.S. DEA and Hellenic authorities conducted numerous counter narcotics investigations which resulted in significant arrests, narcotics seizures, and the dismantling of drug trafficking organizations.
Police Response
Greece has a large national police department totaling approximately 50,000 officers. In the run-up to the Olympic Games of 2004, the police vastly added to their capabilities and some elements of this remain. In particular, due to Olympic Security preparations, there was a noticeable improvement in mass casualty incident management, SWAT capability, as well as Coast Guard capability. Training continues, though at a reduced scale. Recently, Greece has initiated a new program with increased foot and vehicle patrols. The police have a Crisis Management Center, known as the Crisis Police Directorate, and are contemplating establishing a multi agency Organized Crime Task Force.
Police skills, tactical skills, resources, and emergency response capabilities still fall short of American law enforcement standards in many respects. Emergency Police and medical responses are hampered by significant traffic congestion and delays. Police have limited ability to deter criminals as their budget and period training continues to be very limited.
If you are a victim of a crime the central police phone number is 100.
Medical Emergencies
In the case of a medical emergency, please call 166 (Note that the emergency operator will transfer the call to the nearest on-call public hospital. This service will not transport patients to any private hospitals, where medical care is generally better). Air Ambulance Services are locally unavailable
Athens Hospitals:
Hygeia Hospital – 210-682-7940
Mitera Hospital – 210-682-0110
Euroclinic Athens – 210-641-6600
Thessaloniki Hospital:
Interbalkin Hospital – 2310-400000
Tips on How to Avoid Becoming a Victim
Travelers are warned to refuse invitations by strangers met on the street to come into local bars, especially in the Monastiraki or Syntagma areas. This is a ploy to lure individuals into small bars where they can be extorted for large amounts of cash for supposedly purchased drinks with the threat of physical harm if they refuse to pay. The scam is normally run by young females and men who speak excellent English. In addition, there is an active sex trade often involving trafficked persons.
Generally Athens is a safe city, but travelers should specifically avoid the Omonia and Syntagma areas during protests.
Contact Information
American Embassy
+30-210-721-2951 (MAIN)
+20-210-645-6282 (FAX)
http://athens.usembassy.gov
OSAC Country Council Contact Information
There is currently an OSAC Country Council operating in Athens. For more information, contact:
SRSO Charles D. Brandeis
+30-210-720-2313
ARSO Hillary U. Tanton
+30-210-720-2314
FSN Mary Helen Dunn
+30-210-720-2475
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