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Falling Crime: Where have all the burglars gone?

economist.com

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Re: Falling Crime: Where have all the burglars gone?

#121

Post by jbattle »

theorique wrote: post #83
wilfra wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nice one, ya probably true. Smartphone and camera ubiquity probably also plays a role. Just as cops know if they try to Rodney King somebody it will be on YouTube an hour later, so are criminals aware there will be a bunch of digital evidence. Support is given to this by the fact that many of the crimes that are rising are things people can't witness you doing (bank fraud, identity theft etc). And it's definitely not…

Increased respect for the 2nd amendment probably plays a role. Private ownership of firearms means that a home invader may get a face full of lead, which has to act as a deterrent for some.

not conclusively, but that notion is countered by the fact that crime is down in at least one country where gun ownership is very difficult (UK) while being up in at least one country where it's not so bad (Brazil)

Re: Falling Crime: Where have all the burglars gone?

#122

Post by mike_ivanov »

bqe wrote: post #115
moron4hire wrote: post #2

I think historians will look back at the early 21st century and note that Soma was best served digitally, rather than chemically.

This sort of trite criticism of the hoi polloi is easy and lazy. People are better informed than ever, read more than ever, and are more satisfied with their lives than ever. You dismiss this monumental progress by calling it a drug.

> more satisfied with their lives than ever

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2013/05/chart-americas-r...

Re: Falling Crime: Where have all the burglars gone?

#123

Post by DennisP »

pessimizer wrote: post #118
btilly wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know if we have to go reaching for lead as the reason. Reaching??? There was strong evidence that lead caused widespread and permanent damage to children's brains. Therefore the USA spent billions to remove it from our environment. After it is removed, asking whether this made a difference IS NOT a reach. PARTICULARLY NOT when compared to a hypothesis of differences in drug use over time that you've provided…

Is there some evidence somewhere that brain damage causes robbery? It's entirely reasonable to say that the lead explanation is "reaching," although it may turn out to be true. >asking whether this made a difference You're equivocating here, intentionally. The question is whether it made a difference in crime, not whether it "made a difference."

I don't know about robbery specifically, but a google search for "brain damage criminal" turns up plenty of evidence that it's linked to violent crime. Here's the top result, for example: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1997/09/970913073401.ht...

Re: Falling Crime: Where have all the burglars gone?

#125

Post by kevincrane »

lifeformed wrote: post #113
liquidcool wrote: post #62

Since this piece mentions burglary in specific, I found it thriving in Southern California (OC), but in a very specific fashion. Very careful criminals are using the following M.O.: - Parking garages with no cameras - Security is part time, and they wait until they're gone - They hit only cars that are unlocked, so no breaking, just entering - Occasionally, if they see a big score like a laptop, they will break a win…

What are people leaving in their cars that are worth taking?

Laptops and cameras are the two things that would jump out to me. It should be obvious to you or me that you'd bring those inside for the night, but a lot of people don't out of convenience (some members of my family are/were guilty of this). Or maybe it's a work laptop and you just have no need for it inside.

Re: Falling Crime: Where have all the burglars gone?

#126

Post by Tichy »

I have no absolute numbers, but in recent years I have heard far more about attempted burglaries than in the decades before (in Germany). It sounds to me as if the burglars are mostly professionals, driving with trucks into suburbs to find empty houses.

On the other hand I also wonder what is there even left to steal. Apple might singlehandedly sustain burglaries because their gear is the only stuff worth stealing these days?

Then again an acquaintance told me when her flat was burglared the thieves took everything, including photographs and files. I suppose there might be villages somewhere in eastern countries dedicated to scanning those files for bank account information.

Re: Falling Crime: Where have all the burglars gone?

#127

Post by Yourfags »

I think the simple answer a lot of these comments are pointing to is: civilization, wealth, progress, whatever you want to call it, but more and more people are aware of how nice life can be and also see that it doesn't really appear without hard work, course this is merely a hypothesis, but I think it's a pretty common sentiment in the first world that hard work creates an easier life.

Re: Falling Crime: Where have all the burglars gone?

#128

Post by mikeash »

coryrc wrote: post #76
tmorton wrote: post #5

This article mentions, but undersells, the lead factor. Lead exposure causes cognitive problems in children, especially related to impulse control. The drop in crime correlates very well with lead cleanup. Kevin Drum (a left-leaning US journalist) has been making this argument: http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2013/01/lead-and-crime...

Small planes still run leaded fuels so the (rich) owners can save money not changing their engines. This is 50% of our current exposure, needlessly! http://www.treehugger.com/aviation/leaded-gas-banned-around-...

You've got plenty of replies criticizing your "rich" bit, but, well, you deserve at least one more.

Something should probably be done about the use of leaded fuel in general aviation. However, trying to turn it into class warfare (while every single pilot I know, and I know a lot of them, is middle-class) severely hurts your argument.

Re: Falling Crime: Where have all the burglars gone?

#129

Post by dllthomas »

mikeash wrote: post #128
coryrc wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Small planes still run leaded fuels so the (rich) owners can save money not changing their engines. This is 50% of our current exposure, needlessly! http://www.treehugger.com/aviation/leaded-gas-banned-around-...

You've got plenty of replies criticizing your "rich" bit, but, well, you deserve at least one more. Something should probably be done about the use of leaded fuel in general aviation. However, trying to turn it into class warfare (while every single pilot I know, and I know a lot of them, is middle-class) severely hurts your argument.

If you own a plane, you're rich globally.
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