Dearest hearts, is Poland Safe?!
Dearest travelers that think of choosing Poland as a country for their next trip: Do so without a doubt or worry in the world!
22nd Safest Country in the World
#DidYouKnow that Poland was voted as the 22nd safest country – on a worldwide safety report provided by OECD for mid-2016. Poland is one of the 3 European countries that was not affected by organised crime attacks in the 21st century. Also, when it comes to the crime level (same period stated above) it continues dropping, especially in Krakow.
Women’s safety is highly rated!
According to the analysis made by New World Wealth in its 2018 Global Wealth Migration Review, looking at the movement of high net worth individuals across the world, we can see Poland listed in the top 10 safest countries for women. “Woman safety is one of the best ways to gauge a country’s long-term wealth growth potential, with a correlation of 92% between historic wealth growth and woman safety levels”, the report says. Wealth growth is boosted by strong levels of woman safety inside a country. The top 10 safest countries for women in 2017 were:
- Australia
- Malta
- Iceland
- New Zealand
- Canada
- Poland
- Monaco
- Israel
- USA
- South Korea
The ranking was based upon the percentage of each country’s female population that has been a victim of serious crime over the past years. “Most of the countries in our top 10 are also popular destinations for migrating High Net Worth Individuals”, says the report.
The safest countries for each region were:
- Europe: Malta, Poland, Monaco, Iceland
- APAC: Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Japan, South Korea
- Middle East: Israel, UAE
- Africa: Mauritius, Botswana, Namibia
- Americas: USA, Canada
Violent crime and petty crime in Poland
The rate of violent crime (e.g. mugging and carjacking) in Poland is generally really low. However, petty crime (e.g. pickpocketing) is common in larger cities. Though to be noted, I have been living in Poland (in Krakow) for more than 9 years now, and never have I once had a problem or seen anyone having these kinds of issues.
It is true though that on expat communities, on the Facebook groups, I have heard that youth gangs cab be a threat – especially during the football season when the 2 main teams: Cracovia and Wistula are playing. Also, some individuals have been harassed for reasons of the race (when they were darker-skinned), sexual orientation (towards gay couples), or people of foreign-looking appearance.
How about demonstrations?
When it comes to demonstrations, they do occur frequently but they have a peaceful way and the polish people demonstrate their beliefs in an orderly fashion. The demonstrations though can lead to disruptions to traffic and public transportation.
Generally, the areas with the highest crime rate in Poland are the West Pomeranian, Lubusz, Lower Silesian, and Silesian region. Though the crime rate is relatively high, that does not mean that these regions are not safe, it means just that you should be extra careful – have some precautions.
Beware of people that try to trick you!
One thing you should actually be careful of is overcharging and scamming. If you do not know the language you are a sitting duck, you are a foreigner, and if the price is not visible that means when you will ask for one, the shopkeeper might give you a different price than he might say to a local.
You are safe when it comes to restaurants that have menus in English with the correct prices but in the smaller cities, off the beaten track, you are on your own 😉 so learning a word or two might come in handy.
My 2 pennies
Poland is a safe country – no doubt about that! It becomes more incendiary though if you will touch one of these topics:
- Polish Art – You’ll need permits to take out artworks created before 1955. Art created after 1955 could still be banned from export, especially if the artist has died.
- Polish Alcohol – It is illegal to drink in public! Drinking an alcoholic beverage – be it a cheap beer or a bottle of fine wine – in a park or while walking to the pub will earn you a fine from the police. You are allowed, however, in the Main Market Square to sit at a pub/restaurant and drink alcohol within the premises. The only exception: New Year’s Eve!
- A Polish Person is a white person – discrimination on the base of sex, sexual orientation, and color of the skin will happen! Racism in Poland is not an individual phenomenon, but rather an ideology. I have seen and I know many inter-racial couples – daily I see darker-skinned children in the street with their fairer-skinned mothers – yet there are plenty of people that I know, that feel that Poland is and should remain a white country. To be fair, even President Andrzej Duda did a controversial joke on the subject during the 100th anniversary of AGH, on the topic of Equatorial African cannibalism… Funny fact: #DidYouKnow that Africa provided refuge to thousands of Poles during the Second World War?
Conclusion?
So don’t be afraid to come to visit Poland! It has so many beautiful things to offer: amazing unique places, great food, yummy sweets, and good beer/vodka, and warm people that love their country dearly! Come visit Poland and let it win your heart!
*** This article is the redone of the original article that can be found here, on my previous blog page***
Yours very much truly,
Twisted Red Ladybug That Loves Poland, A Safe Heaven
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