Changing Crime in Phnom Penh

Abstract

Is Phnom Penh more or less dangerous than it was five years ago? Residents and frequent visitors to the city have in recent years noted a more relaxed and peaceful ambience. In the past self-imposed curfews emptied streets early in the evening but has Phnom Penh become as safe as other cities? All over the world official crime statistics account for only a fraction of crime. Many crimes are not detected or reported to the police. Even when crimes are reported they are not always recorded by the police, although records of serious crimes such as homicide are usually more reliable. Criminologists refer to these unaccounted crimes as the ‘dark figure of crime’. The ‘dark figure’ of unreported crime varies from country to country and partly reflects confidence in police and differences in the severity and frequency of some crimes. Compared to many places in the world Cambodia has one of the lowest rates of reporting crime to the police and thus one of the largest ‘dark figure’ of crime.