I’ve been reading crime statistics. Hey, it’s one of my hobbies. What can I say? I find them fascinating!

Anyway, I started reading crime statistics, because a news story set me off, and the nerve I have in my brain that reacts when people are unaware the world is no more or less safe than it has ever been on a personal level. Not wanting to spout off my mouth about this without some kind of citation to appease citation-lovers, I had to go do some statistical work. I’m not even going to finish, because I am fully capable of seeing the pattern without doing a while lot of fact gathering and comparisons of charts and graphs. I couldn’t find anything online that showed the exact data I wanted, and too many people are incapable of properly extrapolating data without being presented them to them in perfect format. But I see the crime pattern, and screw a citation, the world is, on a personal level, no more or less safe than it has ever been.

I will grant that currently, due to the ugly economic downturn, some crimes are higher at the moment. Aggravated assaults are up, and aren’t they usually stupid people doing something stupid? People having disagreements with each other than one or both feel can only be resolved by beating the crap out of the other. Not always, but quite often, it’s someone related to or known by the person getting the crap beat out of them. Assault is a crime that can be seen to increase in a population that is under stress or duress, which the economy being bad can certainly cause. Also there’s an increase in burglary and general theft, and isn’t that usually desperate people doing something desperate? Not that we have to agree with what is making said person desperate enough to steal something. An addict that doesn’t know where he’s going to get his next hit and doesn’t want to experience negative physical consequences is going to do what he has to do. The fact that his desperation isn’t as noble as stealing food to feed your children, it is still the same desperation. Someone is willing to steal something from someone else, because they see no other way to fill a need (or perceived need), consequences be damned. A person with little to lose or who isn’t thinking clearly. Lots of people without jobs and with needs to fill right now. Lots of things getting stolen.

But aside from from assaults and stealing, all other crime is either at the same levels or lower than it was 7 years ago. My advice is to keep a careful eye on your family and friends, and don’t piss them or any random strangers off too much … and have a secure home or don’t own anything anyone might want to steal (or at least don’t broadcast that you do). It’ll get better again when the economy improves, and statistically speaking, you yourself will likely not fall victim to any of these crimes. I’m sure that varies a little by locale, but from what I have seen, not by much.

Which is all just one big diversion from what I sat down to say, which is this:

Higher burglary statistics for a given area (say, by zip code) seem to show a direct correlation to the general economic affluence of said area. People tend not to try to steal things from people who don’t have anything to steal. People want to break into houses and cars where they think they might find something of worth, and if burglaries go up in an area that has been historically very poor, it may mean that people are less poor and thus are buying things of worth which can be stolen. I’m just toying with the idea, but I wanted to jot it down so I don’t forget.

Of course, that took about an hour and 697 words … give or take a few, because I am completely incapable of being brief and concise. I should force myself to use Twitter to record these things I don’t want to forget. The 140 character limit would do me good.