Why and how is Poland so safe?
Discussion
..... My other half is Polish, we've been together over 4 years and I holiday here twice a year.
Doesn't matter if you're in a big city or smaller one- it's so safe. Her parents live in a smaller town here and they still leave their houses unlocked.
When I describe what it's like living in the UK they look at me gone out- car crime especially. The quality of life here is amazing, houses are stunning for the most part, modern and very affordable.
When I look at what we pay for in the UK I just can't understand why we pay so much for so little!
Sadly Poland doesn't feel like home- not for now at least- so the UK it will have to be. I just wish we were less of a problematic country.
Doesn't matter if you're in a big city or smaller one- it's so safe. Her parents live in a smaller town here and they still leave their houses unlocked.
When I describe what it's like living in the UK they look at me gone out- car crime especially. The quality of life here is amazing, houses are stunning for the most part, modern and very affordable.
When I look at what we pay for in the UK I just can't understand why we pay so much for so little!
Sadly Poland doesn't feel like home- not for now at least- so the UK it will have to be. I just wish we were less of a problematic country.
sat1983 said:
..... My other half is Polish, we've been together over 4 years and I holiday here twice a year.
Doesn't matter if you're in a big city or smaller one- it's so safe. Her parents live in a smaller town here and they still leave their houses unlocked.
When I describe what it's like living in the UK they look at me gone out- car crime especially. The quality of life here is amazing, houses are stunning for the most part, modern and very affordable.
When I look at what we pay for in the UK I just can't understand why we pay so much for so little!
Sadly Poland doesn't feel like home- not for now at least- so the UK it will have to be. I just wish we were less of a problematic country.
If Poland is so good then why have we seen such a big influx of Polish people to the UK ?Doesn't matter if you're in a big city or smaller one- it's so safe. Her parents live in a smaller town here and they still leave their houses unlocked.
When I describe what it's like living in the UK they look at me gone out- car crime especially. The quality of life here is amazing, houses are stunning for the most part, modern and very affordable.
When I look at what we pay for in the UK I just can't understand why we pay so much for so little!
Sadly Poland doesn't feel like home- not for now at least- so the UK it will have to be. I just wish we were less of a problematic country.
I'm not being argumentative here, just asking a genuine question and adding some balance.
I suspect you could leave your doors unlocked in most of the UK without issue.
Some random Googled data => https://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/compare/...
suggests more crime per capita and a bigger fear of crime in Poland.
Some random Googled data => https://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/compare/...
suggests more crime per capita and a bigger fear of crime in Poland.
Maximus Decimus Meridius said:
If Poland is so good then why have we seen such a big influx of Polish people to the UK ?
I'm not being argumentative here, just asking a genuine question and adding some balance.
The value of the £.I'm not being argumentative here, just asking a genuine question and adding some balance.
Surprised you had to ask the question tbh, they're not coming here for the women!
Maximus Decimus Meridius said:
sat1983 said:
..... My other half is Polish, we've been together over 4 years and I holiday here twice a year.
Doesn't matter if you're in a big city or smaller one- it's so safe. Her parents live in a smaller town here and they still leave their houses unlocked.
When I describe what it's like living in the UK they look at me gone out- car crime especially. The quality of life here is amazing, houses are stunning for the most part, modern and very affordable.
When I look at what we pay for in the UK I just can't understand why we pay so much for so little!
Sadly Poland doesn't feel like home- not for now at least- so the UK it will have to be. I just wish we were less of a problematic country.
If Poland is so good then why have we seen such a big influx of Polish people to the UK ?Doesn't matter if you're in a big city or smaller one- it's so safe. Her parents live in a smaller town here and they still leave their houses unlocked.
When I describe what it's like living in the UK they look at me gone out- car crime especially. The quality of life here is amazing, houses are stunning for the most part, modern and very affordable.
When I look at what we pay for in the UK I just can't understand why we pay so much for so little!
Sadly Poland doesn't feel like home- not for now at least- so the UK it will have to be. I just wish we were less of a problematic country.
I'm not being argumentative here, just asking a genuine question and adding some balance.
1) The Exchange rate.
2) Even on top of that, some basics are comparatively expensive in Poland compared to the UK (Groceries for example) so the standard of living in low paid jobs there can be tricky.
Hence they make hay here. (Not now of course
oh hello HGV driver shortage...)Bacon Is Proof said:
Maximus Decimus Meridius said:
If Poland is so good then why have we seen such a big influx of Polish people to the UK ?
I'm not being argumentative here, just asking a genuine question and adding some balance.
The value of the £.I'm not being argumentative here, just asking a genuine question and adding some balance.
Surprised you had to ask the question tbh, they're not coming here for the women!
The question then must be affordable to whom ?
People who live and work in Poland or is the OP seeing what he could get if he traded in a 1 bed flat in London ?
sat1983 said:
..... My other half is Polish, we've been together over 4 years and I holiday here twice a year.
Doesn't matter if you're in a big city or smaller one- it's so safe. Her parents live in a smaller town here and they still leave their houses unlocked.
When I describe what it's like living in the UK they look at me gone out- car crime especially. The quality of life here is amazing, houses are stunning for the most part, modern and very affordable.
When I look at what we pay for in the UK I just can't understand why we pay so much for so little!
Sadly Poland doesn't feel like home- not for now at least- so the UK it will have to be. I just wish we were less of a problematic country.
My wife is Polish and she says you are talking bDoesn't matter if you're in a big city or smaller one- it's so safe. Her parents live in a smaller town here and they still leave their houses unlocked.
When I describe what it's like living in the UK they look at me gone out- car crime especially. The quality of life here is amazing, houses are stunning for the most part, modern and very affordable.
When I look at what we pay for in the UK I just can't understand why we pay so much for so little!
Sadly Poland doesn't feel like home- not for now at least- so the UK it will have to be. I just wish we were less of a problematic country.
ks. I'm paraphrasing, but that is the gist of it.There are good parts and bad parts to every country, and neither Poland, nor the UK, are exceptions to this.
There are numerous towns, and parts of cities, in Poland where you wouldn't want to leave your house unlocked, or wouldn't want to walk past a group of youths drinking cans in an underpass, for example.
Go and visit the Nowa Huta district of Krakow, and see how long you last before some fine young skinhead gentlemen relieve you of your wallet, phone, and give you a jolly good thrashing in the process.
Conversely, we live in an area of the UK where there is virtually no crime in our village or surrounding area, 99.9% of the locals are pleasant and law abiding, and you can most likely leave your house or car unlocked without issue, but clearly it would be silly to do so.
I have visited Poland many times in the 10 years me and the wife have been together, and have found it safe, welcoming, interesting, friendly, beautiful, and so on, but I am not naive enough to think that it all looks like that, and indeed the town where my wife is from is an ex-industrial type area, and there are certain parts that I wouldn't want to walk around in. My wife's younger brother was beaten up outside the local shop a couple of years ago by a gang of unemployed beer-drinking youths, for merely looking at them the wrong way.
Also, we may think that property in Poland is staggeringly affordable, but try asking an ordinary Polish worker if it is affordable to them. There is a reason many of them live in grotty concrete council flats, or old ruins of houses that they have been 'doing up' for 20 years, or still live three generations in a house.
Poland is a terrific place, and I would definitely consider a holiday home there, but lets not get carried away and claim it is perfect.
Property markets and thus the actual properties tend to evolve to the nature of demand which differs greatly from one country to the next.
In the UK we have a slightly odd and unique relationships with houses. House ownership is seen as both a right and an aspiration; a means to acquire wealth, something that contributes towards retirement and / or something to pass on to kids. Therefore, the only time you want an affordable home is when you buy your first home. From thereon, you want the value to increase. Because of this, housing is intertwined with politics at a local and national level.
Elsewhere, particularly in Scandinavia and the north eastern parts of Europe, houses are seen much more as 'homes'. The first 'big' house you buy as a married couple tends to be the one you'll be carried out from when you check out.
It's wrong to say which approach is best - they each have their pros and cons - but it makes it difficult to compare like for like.
In the UK we have a slightly odd and unique relationships with houses. House ownership is seen as both a right and an aspiration; a means to acquire wealth, something that contributes towards retirement and / or something to pass on to kids. Therefore, the only time you want an affordable home is when you buy your first home. From thereon, you want the value to increase. Because of this, housing is intertwined with politics at a local and national level.
Elsewhere, particularly in Scandinavia and the north eastern parts of Europe, houses are seen much more as 'homes'. The first 'big' house you buy as a married couple tends to be the one you'll be carried out from when you check out.
It's wrong to say which approach is best - they each have their pros and cons - but it makes it difficult to compare like for like.
I'm really not very patriotic and would quite happily live anywhere in the world. UK = Constant congestion, high housing costs, crime etc. If you look at the quality of life index, it's no surprise that the UK doesn't even make the top 20.
That said, Poland is hardly a safe Country. In some remote villages maybe but that's the same for the UK. Krakow is regarded as one of the most dangerous cities in Europe.
As for me, hopefully only another 3 to 4 years, and i'll be permanently relocating to Germany :-)
That said, Poland is hardly a safe Country. In some remote villages maybe but that's the same for the UK. Krakow is regarded as one of the most dangerous cities in Europe.
As for me, hopefully only another 3 to 4 years, and i'll be permanently relocating to Germany :-)
Candellara said:
I'm really not very patriotic and would quite happily live anywhere in the world. UK = Constant congestion, high housing costs, crime etc. If you look at the quality of life index, it's no surprise that the UK doesn't even make the top 20.
That said, Poland is hardly a safe Country. In some remote villages maybe but that's the same for the UK. Krakow is regarded as one of the most dangerous cities in Europe.
As for me, hopefully only another 3 to 4 years, and i'll be permanently relocating to Germany :-)
Worked a fair amount in Poland, mainly in the SE around Rzezhow (iirc), lovely area, very modern in some pets, but no way was it as nice nor felt as safe as the UK, especially in the more rural areas, I was worked on an old Communist era facility which used to make MIG engines, not exactly a paradise.That said, Poland is hardly a safe Country. In some remote villages maybe but that's the same for the UK. Krakow is regarded as one of the most dangerous cities in Europe.
As for me, hopefully only another 3 to 4 years, and i'll be permanently relocating to Germany :-)
As to moving from the UK to Germany, no chance, racist, xenophobic, overbearing and arrogant country, three years living there was enough to last me for a lifetime.
greygoose said:
Really, what is the source for that? I have been to Krakow and it didn't seem edgy at all.
It's known as "the City of Knives" apparently. I had a weekend away there about 5 years ago when visiting Auschwitz. https://sarahbegum.tv/city-of-knives-by-sarah-begu...
Truckosaurus said:
I suspect you could leave your doors unlocked in most of the UK without issue.
Some random Googled data => https://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/compare/...
suggests more crime per capita and a bigger fear of crime in Poland.
The data you linked says opposite. Some random Googled data => https://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/compare/...
suggests more crime per capita and a bigger fear of crime in Poland.
Crimes per 1000
Uk 109
Poland 36
StevieBee said:
Are you comparing Apples with Apples though?
There's plenty of places in the UK with nice, affordable homes in safe neighbourhoods.
I'm certain that there will be parts of Warsaw where you'd dare not walk at night alone and triple lock the door to your €1m one-bed flat.
Agreed. Outside of big cities which is the very vast majority of the UK it seems safe enough. Me, I've never been robbed or had my car or house broken into and I've been on this planet for a "significant" period.There's plenty of places in the UK with nice, affordable homes in safe neighbourhoods.
I'm certain that there will be parts of Warsaw where you'd dare not walk at night alone and triple lock the door to your €1m one-bed flat.
TX.
Edit - this thread is no good without pics of all these Polish girlfriends holding a packet of custard of course ...
Lord Marylebone said:
My wife is Polish and she says you are talking bks. I'm paraphrasing, but that is the gist of it.
There are good parts and bad parts to every country, and neither Poland, nor the UK, are exceptions to this.
There are numerous towns, and parts of cities, in Poland where you wouldn't want to leave your house unlocked, or wouldn't want to walk past a group of youths drinking cans in an underpass, for example.
Go and visit the Nowa Huta district of Krakow, and see how long you last before some fine young skinhead gentlemen relieve you of your wallet, phone, and give you a jolly good thrashing in the process.
Conversely, we live in an area of the UK where there is virtually no crime in our village or surrounding area, 99.9% of the locals are pleasant and law abiding, and you can most likely leave your house or car unlocked without issue, but clearly it would be silly to do so.
I have visited Poland many times in the 10 years me and the wife have been together, and have found it safe, welcoming, interesting, friendly, beautiful, and so on, but I am not naive enough to think that it all looks like that, and indeed the town where my wife is from is an ex-industrial type area, and there are certain parts that I wouldn't want to walk around in. My wife's younger brother was beaten up outside the local shop a couple of years ago by a gang of unemployed beer-drinking youths, for merely looking at them the wrong way.
Also, we may think that property in Poland is staggeringly affordable, but try asking an ordinary Polish worker if it is affordable to them. There is a reason many of them live in grotty concrete council flats, or old ruins of houses that they have been 'doing up' for 20 years, or still live three generations in a house.
Poland is a terrific place, and I would definitely consider a holiday home there, but lets not get carried away and claim it is perfect.
How strange. I've been in and around Nowa Huta many times over the past 20 years and never had any problem whatsoever. Indeed, I enjoy visiting the different areas and communities across many parts of Poland. ks. I'm paraphrasing, but that is the gist of it.There are good parts and bad parts to every country, and neither Poland, nor the UK, are exceptions to this.
There are numerous towns, and parts of cities, in Poland where you wouldn't want to leave your house unlocked, or wouldn't want to walk past a group of youths drinking cans in an underpass, for example.
Go and visit the Nowa Huta district of Krakow, and see how long you last before some fine young skinhead gentlemen relieve you of your wallet, phone, and give you a jolly good thrashing in the process.
Conversely, we live in an area of the UK where there is virtually no crime in our village or surrounding area, 99.9% of the locals are pleasant and law abiding, and you can most likely leave your house or car unlocked without issue, but clearly it would be silly to do so.
I have visited Poland many times in the 10 years me and the wife have been together, and have found it safe, welcoming, interesting, friendly, beautiful, and so on, but I am not naive enough to think that it all looks like that, and indeed the town where my wife is from is an ex-industrial type area, and there are certain parts that I wouldn't want to walk around in. My wife's younger brother was beaten up outside the local shop a couple of years ago by a gang of unemployed beer-drinking youths, for merely looking at them the wrong way.
Also, we may think that property in Poland is staggeringly affordable, but try asking an ordinary Polish worker if it is affordable to them. There is a reason many of them live in grotty concrete council flats, or old ruins of houses that they have been 'doing up' for 20 years, or still live three generations in a house.
Poland is a terrific place, and I would definitely consider a holiday home there, but lets not get carried away and claim it is perfect.
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