The EU's Most Heavily Policed ​​Countries

Published on: January 4, 2019 / Updated on: January 4, 2019 – Author: Konrad Wolfenstein

The most affected EU countries – @shutterstock | Tupungato

The number of police officers in the European Union has declined in recent years. In 2016, EU countries had a total of 1.62 million police officers, a decrease of 3.4 percent compared to 2009. According to Eurostat , there were 318 police officers per 100,000 people in 2016, with significant differences between member states.

As the following infographic shows, Cyprus had the highest density of law enforcement personnel in 2016, with 572 per 100,000 inhabitants. Hungary was at the other end of the scale with 90 per 100,000 inhabitants. Elsewhere, Italy had 453, Spain 361, and France 326 per 100,000 inhabitants.

In recent years, the number of police officers across the European Union has been decreasing. In 2016, EU countries had a collective total of 1.62 million police officers, a 3.4 percent reduction since 2009. According to Eurostat , there were 318 police officers per 100,000 people in 2016 with noticeable differences between member states.

As the following infographic shows, Cyprus had the highest density of law enforcement personnel in 2016 with 572 per 100,000 inhabitants. Hungary was at the opposite end of the scale with 90 per 100,000 inhabitants. Elsewhere, Italy had 453, Spain had 361 and France had 326 per 100,000 people.

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