As someone who watches the TV news and reads the local papers everyday, my overall impression is that there is more law enforcement, even for the most innocuous things, and I do believe the registry of crime reports is quite accurate. I know for a fact numbers in the ol country are fiddled with, and reporting crimes is considered a waste of time. Here they would open records for a lost pen… As to sexual violence, yep, rather high statistically, more than we all care to admit. Or maybe just that there is much more people.
I remember reading a study describing how Japanese women reporting rapes are only further humiliated and shamed by the police. It concluded that rape was, in all probability, massively under-represented in the official statistics.
Another study I read on Taiwan (quite old) said that police stations are rewarded for having low crime rates in their jurisdictions, a situation which basically punishes police for reporting crimes. Has anything changed?
[quote=“Feiren”]I’m a bit surprised looking at the numbers. Combined, Taipei, New Taipei, and Keelung (Jilong) (pop. 7 million) had 248 murders, 64 robberies, and 681 rapes in 2012. That yields 3.5 murders per 100,000 people, which is the rate for Europe as a whole. Taiwan as a whole is 3.2 murders per 100K people, putting just above the Asian average of 3.1 and far above Japan’s 0.3 people murdered per 100,000. Taiwan is also high for East Asia (3.2 compared to the regional average of just 1.2.
The incidence of rape in northern Taiwan (9.7!) is also much higher than in Japan (1) or Hong Kong 1.6 (2010 figures). Taiwan’s incarceration rate is also relatively high at 248/100k. The only country in Asia that is higher is Thailand (381).
For East Asia, Taiwan appears to be a relatively violent place. That contrasts sharply with my subjective impression that it is very safe. I would have said that it is almost as safe as Japan.[/quote]
As the concensus here seems to be that Taiwan isn`t really a violent place, i am suprised by this as well. Would there be any explaination for this high murder rate? For example is it mostly gang related? It seems that everyone here agrees the streets of Taiwan are pretty safe. Then who gets murdered? As said before in most developped countries the murder rate is lower.
From reading the papers, I would say that my impression is that the vast majority of murders in Taiwan are crimes of passion. The most common scenario is family members killing each other followed by lovers. Another common type of murder seems to be drunken quarrels between friends. There are also sort of random killings of youths by other groups of youths after arguments over girlfriends. The least common are gang-related murders although they do of course happen.
I’m wondering if language isn’t a factor here. As far as my non-legally-trained mind can figure, there isn’t a word for manslaughter in Chinese, only ｘｘ致死. The term 他殺 is ambiguous, meaning “killing,” whereas 殺人罪 is translated in the Criminal Code as “murder.”
So if you accidentally pummel someone to death and the police call it 殺人 (it should be 過失致死), that would be reported as murder, whereas in the US it would only count as manslaughter.
I have no idea if there is any weight to what I just said.
[quote=“tommy525”]http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/television/article/Slain-actress-Symbol-of-Venezuela-s-insecurity-5120784.php
Not compared to many other countries.[/quote]
This is certainly true. I know of course there are far more dangerous countries than Taiwan. But as a lot of people seem to find it very safe in Taiwan, i can`t wrap my mind around it having around 6 times more murders than Japan. Even if people say they feel really safe while being there.
[quote=“Hokwongwei”]I’m wondering if language isn’t a factor here. As far as my non-legally-trained mind can figure, there isn’t a word for manslaughter in Chinese, only ｘｘ致死. The term 他殺 is ambiguous, meaning “killing,” whereas 殺人罪 is translated in the Criminal Code as “murder.”
So if you accidentally pummel someone to death and the police call it 殺人 (it should be 過失致死), that would be reported as murder, whereas in the US it would only count as manslaughter.
I have no idea if there is any weight to what I just said.[/quote]
You might totally be right. It`s hard to compare numbers internationally. In that case i would still wonder why there are so many cases of manslaughter though. Since that is still a contradiction to the idea of most people that Taiwan if very safe.
[quote=“crazyguymanhorse”][quote=“tommy525”]http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/television/article/Slain-actress-Symbol-of-Venezuela-s-insecurity-5120784.php
Not compared to many other countries.[/quote]
This is certainly true. I know of course there are far more dangerous countries than Taiwan. But as a lot of people seem to find it very safe in Taiwan, i can`t wrap my mind around it having around 6 times more murders than Japan. Even if people say they feel really safe while being there.[/quote]
Foreigners don’t have family members here. 
Hence they are safe until they begin to acquire them.
Japan is one of the safest countries on the planet. Taiwan is fairly safe, in that you are generally quite safe from the anarchy that many countries have.
But per capita, Taiwan is roughly on par with living in a middle to upper class neighborhood in the USA.
America has huge differences in safety depending on where you live. Taiwan has the same level of safety wherever you live on the island, there is no real difference.
Most murders in Taiwan are not random, which is different from say the USA.
Most murders in Taiwan have a “reason” behind the murder and are not , for the most part, due to a chance robbery.
One rich expat was targetted and murdered because a few lowlifes thought to rob him in his parking garage because he drove an expensive car. But this is rare.
It is important to note that most murders are solved in Taiwan. Whereas in the USA , a great many get away. Especially where there is nothing to tie the murderers to the victims.
A few young ladies have been raped and murdered in Taiwan so its not totally safe for young ladies to be out alone at all hours of the day .
I would say Taiwan is definitely on the safe side, as long as you observe proper caution in dealings with people and if you are a young lady be aware of your surroundings late at night if alone.
Even so, some do fall victim. There have been cases of low lifes driving around knocking down girls on scooters and raping them. Some have even been murdered.
So there is random crime.
Even though most murders are solved in Taiwan doesn’t mean justice was done, how often did they get the right person? (Of course it’s easier to catch murderers if committed by family members）
True. Following murder news gives you the “things that make you go mmm” vibe. Right now there is this case on the news about a young girl in Taoyuan. Last footage seems that she was being followed. By whom? Is it the killer? At first, the police said it looked like suicide, at best suspicious circumstances due to the wounds on her hands. Then they turned their attention on the boyfriend, obvious suspect. Now they are going after the mother… seems they had an argument the night before. Stay tuned…
Not to mention the infamous café murders…
I would dare to say that there is more accountability on part of the cops than what it looks like, though. In all the time I have lived in Xindian, we have only had one attempted break in in the hood and one “police incident”. Let me explain. Apparently, there was this guy on the lam. He was renting one of the taofangs in the hood. The cops got a tip and came for him. He attempted escape by jumping between buildings. He did not succeed. When I got there, the hood was in a commotion because of the terrifying SPLAT sound he made upon landing on the ground. Painfully, he was still alive -4 floor gongwus. Ambulances picked him up and then the cops started pouring in. Imagine CSI times 10. There were like 20 glove clad investigators, and about 50 uniforms of all ranks. The coast was clear 3 or 4 hours later but the matter was given a very through sweep. The cops did not want to have any shadow of impropriety, even though it seemed quite straightforward as per neighbors accounts they did not push the guy or anything -barely up the stairs at the time of the jump if I heard correctly. But all is were dotted and ts crossed anyways.
[quote=“Icon”
Not to mention the infamous café murders…[/quote]
That one was specially sick.
Overall, I think that Taiwan is a very safe place for normal people. People throw numbers here and it seems that they’re somehow high. I don’t know what the explanation for this is (perhaps the way they counted dead?), but I find very unlikely to be robbed and killed any time soon
you are far more likely to be conned out of your life savings than being mugged.
What a way to go. 
Yep, really horrible. the neighbors were shocked, first of all because someone with a record was living among us and no one was the wiser, and second of all because of the painful way he died. He did not have to run, they said. And jumping between buildings, he was never going to make it.
Remarkably, now that we are on the subject of muggings, my boss was commenting how Taiwan is going to the dogs, as just yesterday there was a mugging at knife point in Yongkang Street. A pregnant lady, wife of a doctor was the victim. Seems it is generating a lot of attention and protests. Will post link when I find it.
This is something else: when someone suffers a crime, people still get upset, and get angry with the perpetrator. In the ol country, most of the time, they blame the victim, even if it is a 2 year old.
EDIT:
I think it is this one, but it says it was an old lady encumbered with bags, not a pregnant one like my boss said. Anyways, they got the guy, who said he had no money so he robbed her since he saw her hands were busy. Note to self: stop being a desert crossing camel.
tw.news.yahoo.com/永康商圈劫殺案-凶嫌坦承為錢犯案-030700046.html
EDIT II:
From China Post:
Famed domestic thoracic surgeon and former Taipei City Hospital Superintendent Perng Reury-perng’s 66-year-old wife, surnamed Lin, was robbed and stabbed yesterday morning at Yong Kang Street; police are investigating the case.
Lin is in stable condition after emergency treatment and is currently staying in the Intensive Care Unit at a hospital for further observation.
Police said surveillance footage shows that Lin was walking alone in an alley at the Yong Kang Commercial District when a man followed her and suddenly grabbed Lin’s bag from behind, tripped her and then stabbed her neck and back. The victim was dragged on the ground for a while, resulting in abrasions on her face, police said, noting that the suspect fled the crime scene after the incident
So this guy’s been caught… end of story 24 hours later.
Unconnected, but I remember an incident when I first arrived in Taiwan, when a mother fell from a great height when she was trying to climb over a balcony because she’d locked herself out with her kids inside the apartment. It was fcking horrific and the kids I taught that saw it were horribly traumatised.
I just remembered that TV show I watched… it was about a very (un)famous episode here in Taipei: a thief and rapist hijacked a whole expat family from South Africa some years ago. There were lots of shots and so!
Actually, that one happens often… But a mother would be more traumatic.