Crime Safety Tips

Here is a website founded to inform people on tips in order to keep safe from crime in urban cities. I feel like this a good website because now more than ever the crime rate is rising at a high rate due to the economy. Due the rise in the crime people need to be aware and be able to stay safe in the communities they live in. The more and more people who become aware of these tips, the more and more likely we are to see a small drop in the crime rate. Even though it may not be a significant drop in the crime rate and drop in the crime rate will help alot more the people think. I believe that people need to be informed about things like this in order to keep themselves and thier loved ones safes from situations that can be easily avoided by following these tips. Violence and crime are not new problems and have always attracted public scrutiny. Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure—that means educate yourself on each of the destinations you attend before you go there, so that you may begin to know what to expect, what to avoid and what to savour during your trip.

Ask. “Ask your local guesthouse or hostel manager for advice on ‘safe’ vs ‘unsafe’ local areas. As a general rule, city streets that include children and women suggest the area is safer for everyone.”
Source: The Better Health Channel

Blend into the background. “When you travel to foreign countries, avoid wearing loud T-shirts. Leave the flags, team jackets, and baseball caps with funny sayings at home. If you stand out from the crowd, you are more noticeable to thieves or anyone who might have a gripe against your country.”
Source: 1000tips4trips.com

Appear confident when walking around in public. “At night try to stay in well-lit densely populated areas. Travel in groups where possible—rather than by yourself.”
Source: Orato.com

Keep to the middle. “If you are walking in quiet, dark streets, if possible stay in the middle of the road and watch for traffic. This gives you more reaction time to flee an attack or defend yourself if required. If someone is waiting to ambush you they have a greater distance to before an attack.”
Source: Orato.com

Don’t look too obviously lost—even if you are. “You can always walk purposefully into a shop, bank or hotel to ask for directions or consult a map.”
Source: About.com

Don’t be a pickpocket magnet. “Watch out for narrow aisles of trains and on city buses or subway—the trickiest time on bus and subway is when you are getting on or off with a crush of people. Pickpockets often stand in the crowd right by the door so they can hop off as soon as they make a hit.”
Source: World Nomads

ATMs. “Use a machine located inside a store/shop, or inside a gas/petrol station . This is a safer environment to use these machines and makes it more difficult for criminals to case/view people using the machine.”
Source: Be Careful Out There.

Carry a ‘dummy’ wallet. “Consider carrying a ‘dummy wallet’ holding a small amount of cash. If you are directly confronted by a mugger, you can hand over the dummy wallet and avoid further distress.”
Source: Better Health Channel

Be there with bells on. “Place Christmas type bells on your carry on, and when someone tries to move it, you will hear. Always, when standing around or sitting drinking coffee, keep your foot through the strap. If someone drops something, or something happens, look at your backpack. This may be a diversion to steal your pack.” Source: 1000tips4trips.com

Do not resist. “If a robber confronts you, co-operate. Don’t risk physical harm. Try to remain calm and alert. Tell the robber if you need to make any sudden moves. Tell the truth to all questions asked.”
Source: ehow.com

Try to avoid hailing a cabs in the street. “Ask your hotel to call a cab for you—or a local restaurant or bar. They will take note of the number of the taxi and the driver’s name. At airports and bus stations there are official taxis that you should consider taking.”
Source: About.com

URBAN BRIGHT SAFETY

Economy of Crime

In an article by the New York Times, it shows us the direct link between the economy and crime. It tells at this time especially during a bad economy, we need to keep any eye for crime now more than ever before. The terrible economy directly leads to the abandonment of neighborhoods , failing schools and school systems, and startling crime rates. It is quoted that every single recession since the the 1950's has resulted in or been associated with an increase in crime, most particularly property crime and robbery. The economy is affecting the lives of many, it changes neighborhoods because homes are being abandoned and foreclosed on. This directly leads to more and more people living on the streets, and when you live on the streets you will do anything in your power to earn money to survive. This is where crime comes in, more and more people who live on the street have no other option but to commit crimes in order to survive. So this helps prove the theory that when the economy is bad the crime rate will rise. I believe that in Urban situations this problem is at is worse and their is a higher likelihood of crime to be committed. For example, there are more potential victims, there are more people walking the streets, more people carrying shopping bags, more people lining up at atm's, and more people driving and parking their cars. I feel like no matter what the economic situation is, in Urban setting there is always a high likelihood of crime to be committed.

NEW YORK TIMES

The effects of crime

Crime has numerous effects, not only does it affect the person who is committing the crime but it affects the community the crime is taking place in. Besides the obvious effects that are felt directly from crime, the tax payers are hit the hardest in the article that i read. New prisons and jails, programs for criminals, and money for more police protection all come directly and indirectly out of the pocket of the taxpayers in America. Studies have shown that a society will pays over the twice the average household income for one inmate's incarceration. This basically means that instead of money being invested into things that will help out a community like: higher wages or better education, their money is going towards keeping criminals safe and well fed. Most people who commit crimes dont realize that by committing that one crime, their community can be paying for it long after the crime is committed. They may not think their crime they are committing will affect anyone outside of themselves but they dont realize the whole community can be affected by a single robbed gas station, a mugging, or breaking into someones house.

link to article

Crime and The Media

Crime in urban cities has numerous effects but what effects people in order for them to commit crime? How do these people justify and believe for the crimes they commit to be acceptable? The media plays a much bigger role in crime than you would think. A big problem for these people is that crime is often glorifies by members of their community and it is also glorified by music, movies, and television. So alot of the people who commit crime find it to be socially acceptable because they see it in movies, television, and they see successful rap artists who glorify crime in their music. If you saw someone who you look up to and want to be, doing something or saying something is ok to do, most likely your going to want to take parts in those things also. The rap industry makes it so it is acceptable to commit crime, do drugs, and objectify women. I feel that it is sending the wrong message to people these days. It basically just asking for people to go out and commit crimes and sell drugs. I think a way to fix this problem is to censor the messages that these artists are putting out, if we try an sensor some this stuff it will help out alot and hopefully cut down the rate of crime.

media and crime article

Crime and Poverty

When talking about crime there are usually factors that directly affect crime and become reasons why crime takes place. Poverty is usually a main factor that directly affects crime.In urban cities, you see all forms of poverty almost every where you go. Alot of crime in cities takes place due to poverty, these people need money and they believe that the only way for them to obtain money is to commit a crime that will gain them money or valuable objects. Drug dealing and robbery are the main crimes that directly linked to poverty. Dealing drugs gives these people fast cash without having to actually work a nine to five job, and robbery gives them instant cash and valuables. I believe people of poverty in Urban cities see crime as the only way for them to escape poverty. Especially young kids who have grown up seeing, older people selling drugs and robbing people to make money. It is very to hard to be accustomed to something for your whole life and end up not being a part of this. I feel like a good way to combat this problem, is to have more jobs created in urban areas and have centers built for people to go who are in serious poverty. If people have a place to go to get a meal and have a place to sleep,i think that they are less likely to commit crime. If more jobs are created, more and more people wont have to revert to crime in order to put food on the tables for themselves and their families.

Two men charged Armed Robbery

Armed robbery is often a major issue discussed when you talk about crime, especially when you talk about crime in an urban city. In the article i found, two men were charged with a string of armed robbery charges. These men were charged with walking up to victims and holding them at gunpoint while stealing money, cellphones, and other valuables. These men were said to be part of a gang and they were carry out these robberies in order to gain admittance to the specific gang they were trying to become a part of. This shows how gangs are in direct correlation to crime in urban areas. These men resorted to crime in order to be accepted into the gang, It is very troubling that these men commited crimes just to be associated with and become part of gang. I believe that if these men would have been in school or had grown up with good values, this would have never happened. It tough tho because growing up in an Urban city, you are around gangs and violence your whole life, so for most it is almost inevitable for them to also become a part of it.

For more information on this article, click the link below

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/12/05/two-men-charged-in-string-of-armed-robberies-on-north-side/

Crime Statistics

This blog is about the statistics in crime across the United States. Through this website i was able to narrow the search down to South Carolina and then it gave me a list of individual cities, where i found the crime statistics of columbia. The results were kind of shocking to me and kind of hard for me to figure out a reason why the stats are the way they are. The total violent crime rate average has gone down since 1980, which i find very hard to believe. I find it hard to believe because the economy is not good right now and usually when the economy is down more crime usually follows. When the economy is bad you need money and for some the only way for them to obtain money is through crime. Also there is a gap and not every single year is accounted for since 1980. This seems to parallel something we talked about in class about altered statistics for a specific outcome. I think they left out years on the list so it would support there hypothesis that violent crime rate is not occurring as often

Number of Violent Crimes Reported by Columbia Polic by Year and Total

Year Population Murder/ Man- slaughter Rape Robbery Aggravated Assault Total Violent Crime 2005 117,484 16 55 381 866 1,318 2004 118,378 18 74 465 962 1,519 2003 118,122 15 63 459 813 1,350 2002 118,624 11 96 502 966 1,575 2001 117,349 14 63 476 947 1,500 2000 115,876 12 69 505 925 1,511 1995 104,457 9 90 684 1,411 2,194 1990 98,052 22 103 518 1,318 1,961 1985 100,024 12 67 389 931 1,399 1980 97,104 15 110 595 1,039 1,759

South Carolina Counties