Source: The Economist:
In the past some 50 cars were stolen here each year. Now it’s 350.” It’s not surprising that car-stealing gangs flock to Frankfurt: crossing the border takes just a few minutes.
Polish gangs stealing German cars is nothing new. What’s new is the rapid increase of such thefts in eastern Germany since the expansion of the passport and immigration-control free Schengen area. In Brandenburg, the state where Frankfurt is located which has Germany’s longest border with Poland, police recorded 2,700 vehicles per 100,000 residents in 2007. By 2010, the figure had skyrocketed to 4,055 vehicles per 100,000 residents.
Though Poland joined the Schengen agreement and borders removed however the mind set of Polish people did not change. I also lived for one year in Warsaw while employed there but never felt any quest in Polish people to change this habits. Change of mind set is a gradual process which might take many years to reshape. However if electronic and print media can play its role and start an extensive campaign to impress upon people to improve the ethical reputation of the nation, the change can occur quickly.