Health & Fitness
Not Reporting Crime Invites It
Who wouldn't report a crime? You'd be surprised. Increased crime reports equals an increase in patrols.
As commercial establishments find more ways to reduce theft by
having less cash on the premises, security cameras, automatic locking doors,
silent alarms, etc. the appeal of targeting residences has become popular to
fill the void for criminals. They do not have to worry about police pulling up unexpectedly or customers coming and going.
Most residential burglaries occur during working hours when, hopefully, homeowners or renters are at work and the home is vacant. Commercial burglaries usual occur at night. Criminals also look for telltale signs of the home being unoccupied or people being on vacation. Newspapers on the driveway, mailbox filled with mail, garbage cans out by the curb on a non-pickup day. These signs are irresistible to a thief.
The good news is nationally crime rates are declining over the last few years
However, that data becomes skewed when people don’t report crime. Who wouldn’t report a crime? You’d be surprised.
Running a neighborhood watch I hear firsthand accounts of just that phenomenon. I am astonished at the amount of crime that goes unreported. Mostly petty crimes, items stolen from vehicles and stolen bicycles, are the more common ones. But on occasion, I see even attempted break-ins go unreported.
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“Well they didn’t actually steal anything,” is a common answer.
We have a saying in The Watch, “If you don’t report it, then it didn’t happen”. That may seem cold and harsh, but it’s true. If you’re a victim of a crime, you need to make a report. Even if you feel it won’t do you any good, or get your property back. Increase in crime reports equals an increase in patrols.
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Criminals are like fisherman, they keep going back to the same spot until the fish are gone, or in this case, the area becomes too hot with police patrols. Making a report not only allows police to be aware of hot spots, but it might just save a friend or neighbor from becoming a victim.
Editor's Note: James Semon is the primary contact for The Perfect Neighborhood Watch, a community neighborhood watch group based in northwest sections of Hauppauge.
