The topic of controlling crime cannot be fully discussed without the topic of the “everyday” citizen being delved into. Guns, death penalty, and funding are all well and good when it comes to controlling crime, but all these “good” actions begin with the people. The support or refusal of the people determines what proposals, programs, etc. get put into action. We, the people, have already noticed and complained about the crime problem. Yet, it seems we are relying on the politicians to fix the crime problem for us. Obviously, relying on politicians has not helped our crime problem. Thus, it is my belief that we as a people begin to take a real interest in our surroundings and economy. We cannot rely on other people to clean-up our streets if we ourselves do not care enough to help in our own neighborhoods. The rest of this post is devoted to techniques that all of us can put into practice to help control the crime in our neighborhoods.
Let us begin with the individual. The most basic premise that I want to stress to everyone is that, no one else is going to do your work for you. If you want to make changes, start with yourself. Take one step at a time. Whether you live in in a multi-million dollar neighborhood or in the ghetto, a person should know how to protect themself. One of the basic ways to protect yourself is to know a few simple defense moves. Anyone, anywhere can be attacked; so it is better to be prepared than to become a statistic. You can take self-defense, kick-boxing, or other types of “protective” classes at a local community center. I even know of an apartment complex that offers free kick-boxing lessons on the grounds. Also, sometimes dojos offer one day classes on self-defense. If you take the time to look around you will be surprised at how many inexpensive ways there are for you to learn how to defend yourself. I am not saying that you need to get multiple black belts (though I am sure that would help) and spend money that you do not necessarily have. But, with a few simple defense moves you can delay your attacker long enough to run away and get help. Remember, you as a person are more important than a reputation as a “kick-ass fighter” or than your pride. There is no shame in running away from a bad situation. With a quick search on www.youtube.com, which is free to the public, I found a multitude of self-defense videos. While not all of them are good, there are a few legitimate videos out there that can give anyone a couple pointers. I have embedded what I believe to be one of those legitimate videos. The next aspect to talk about is house and property. We cannot prevent all burglaries from happening, but we can extremely impede them. Burglaries can happen to anyone and anywhere. It is common knowledge in the law enforcement community that most crime is opportunistic in nature. Thus, if we lower the ease and number of opportunities of crimes presented to criminals, it stands to reason that we can lower certain types of crimes, specifically burglaries of our homes. From my own personal experiences, what my parents taught me growing up, and internet research (please click on my sources at the bottom of this post to learn more), the following is a list of ways to help impede burglaries. The list is longer than want is listed here, and the effects of the suggestions will vary depending where you live.
· Make sure you have strong locks on all doors and windows
· Do not leave windows or doors unlocked/opened when you leave for vacation
· Put a piece of wood in the tracks of your doors and windows so that they cannot be forced opened
· Keep your grass cut and your property up-kept so that it shows everyone that you care and are watchful of your property
· Keep your hedges low so you can see your yard and prevent people from hiding
· When you go on vacation, get someone to cut your grass, pick-up newspapers and mail, and watch the house for you so that your house does not look empty
· Set-up automatic timers on lights and radio so that your house looks lived in at night
· Install automatic lights around your house, which makes it harder for someone to sneak up during the night
· Do not hide house keys in “obvious” places, think about leaving a key with a trusted neighbor
· Do not leave valuables where they can be seen, such as in front of a window or in the car where a criminal could easily break in and grab your valuables
· Do not put your home address on your luggage tags (put your work address) as this tells criminals which house is empty
· Have an alarm system installed in your house. You should not rely on the alarm system, but they can be a big help.
· If you are a home owner, take gun safety classes, and feel comfortable protecting yourself, your family, and possessions with a gun
· Have a place in the house where you can go to quickly arm yourself.
The last aspect that I would like to touch on is the neighborhood. After you have equipped yourself, and fortified your house and property, it is time to get to know your neighbors and begin to work together. Granted, not all neighborhoods will work together, as some people in your neighborhood may need to be avoided, but if at all possible you should work with your neighbors to create a safer environment with and for everyone. The more people there are committed to watching out for others, presumably, there will be less crime. Additionally, your neighborhood can join a Neighborhood Watch, www.i-neighbors.org, which links the neighborhood together. With a Neighborhood Watch, everyone can be kept up-to-date on neighborhood crime meetings, ideas to protect the home, etc. Among the many, a Neighborhood Watch is just one more idea to keep everyone safer
In conclusion, there are many ways to help create a safer environment for ourselves. Think about the possibilities and outcomes if most of the neighborhoods in the United States decided to implement just a few of the above ideas. It could prove to be extremely beneficial in the fight against crimes. I stress again, nobody is going to fix our neighborhoods, cities, counties, states, economy, society, or country for us. We need to get up and take life by the horns and show our leaders we are serious about bettering our country at every level. WE CAN DO IT!
Accessed: April 28, 2011.
Accessed: April 28, 2011.
Updated: September 5, 2009. Accessed: April 28, 2011.
Accessed: April 28, 2011.
http://www.i-neighbors.org/index.php?gclid=CK-_0qTuv6gCFRFOgwodN2MFrw
Great topic, and an even better post! While many believe the controlling of crime to be a sole responsibility of law enforcement and the CJ system as a whole, I find it rather compelling to revert the focus back to the people. You stated, "Guns, death penalty, and funding are all well and good when it comes to controlling crime, but all these “good” actions begin with the people." So too can be said for all actions not so "good". The idea that the controlling of crime begin with the people, is one that I believe most often goes unrecognized. In many cases, it is the lack of ones own awareness that leads to the susceptibility of being victimized by crime.
ReplyDeleteI felt your opinion and stance on the issue was very well though out, and serves as a great foundation for the public to become equally active as their law enforcement counterparts in the combating and controlling of crime.
I enjoyed reading you post. You provided really good information. I wish many people could read your post, because am sure many would be encouraged and will want to collaborate with others in their communities, to help reduce crime.
ReplyDeleteI also liked the tips you provided. Very useful!!
I think you have touched on one of the most difficult aspects of community policing...citizen awareness and preparedness. No matter how much the police and politicians do, they cannot lock your doors for you or protect you when an intruder is in your home. All they can do is try to deter criminals and make sure they get punished after the fact. I think a lot of crime is simply the fact that the opportunity was present. For the most part, if there is no opportunity there will be no crime. If you go out of your way to make it difficult to get at you or your home, chances are the criminal will just give up and walk away unless they were targeting you specifically for some reason. I think people are too trusting and have the "it won't happen to me" mentality. It is this ignorance that allows so many to become another victim.
ReplyDeleteThis was a great post and if more people followed even some of the suggestions you gave I think we would see a shift in crime rates.
Thank you all so much for commenting on my blog. I hope my tips helped you, and everyone else who has read this blgo, come up with ways to protect themselves. It is true that people believe that the crime will be committed agaist someone else, but reality shows us that someone has to be the statistic. We need to step up to the plate and defend ourselves.
ReplyDeleteGreat topic, I have been involved in martial arts for 12 years now, and over the years it has come in handy. a great bullet point you touched on was not leaving your key in obvious places, my roomate did this and that is why i was confronted with a thief when I came home from work one day. this is a important point to concider when thinking of home defense.
ReplyDelete