A pilot project of victimisation and perceptions of insecurity in the Batan area, Madrid (2022)

In 2020, the Batan area of Madrid experienced a dramatic 611% increase in recorded crimes compared to the previous year, according to judicial sources. Since then, completed crimes have been frequently reported, raising significant concern among local residents. This pilot study aims to assess levels of perceived insecurity and victimisation within the Batan neighbourhood. To this end, a victimisation questionnaire was distributed to residents in 2022 through neighbourhood networks. The questionnaire is based on the last general survey conducted by the Centre for Sociological Research for the Community of Madrid in 2007. The sample size for the pilot project includes 62 completed questionnaires. Findings indicate that 78.7% of respondents perceived the level of security in the Batan neighbourhood as either regular, bad, or very bad - with 49.2% describing it as bad or very bad and 29.5% describing it as regular. One of the most concerning issues for respondents was the fear of criminal victimisation. Based on these preliminary results, the study has expanded into a larger project that includes the broader Lucero neighbourhood, and it has incorporated qualitative methods in order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of urban insecurity. In the future, it would be important to consider a citywide assessment across Madrid.