Police survey finds residents of Bnei Brak and Ariel feel relatively protected, while residents of Lod and Nazareth do not.

Residents of the largely hareidi city of Bnei Brak and theJewish Samarian city of Ariel feel relatively safe, according to a police survey. Residents of the mixed Arab-Jewish cities of Lod and Nazareth fell much less safe.

The survey encompassed 13 cities and towns in which the police's “community policing” project operates. Its results were reported in Tuesday's edition of the Hebrew-language Israel Hayom newspaper.

The city with the highest proportion of residents who feel protected is Ariel, where 92% said they feel personal safety. It is followed by Bnei Brak and Tel Aviv's Givatayim section. Carmiel, in the Galilee, is in fourth place with 86%. Lod and Nazareth were last at 70%.

As regards the fear of being hurt by criminal activity, Nazareth came in first. Only 55% of its residents said that they do not feel such a fear. In Lod, the number was 64%.

By contrast, 85% of Ariel's residents said that they do not fear being harmed by criminal activity. Givatayim scored 84% and Bnei Brak 81%, in this category.

The survey's authors recommended that the police devote more attention and assets to dealing with the Arab sector. They also said that a ready availability of police cars and policemen who are quick to respond to calls, improves the feeling of safety among residents. Specifically, as regards Ariel, the citizens' relative feeling of being protected was attributed to the fact that a large proportion of the residents "are in touch with the municipal police."