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| Author: Moira MacKenzie |
Crime statistics today point to the necessity of maintaining a watchful eye on the security of our family, homes and businesses. Although a deterrent, secure locks and dogs are no longer sufficient to protect property and loved ones.
The following demographic statistics are from The Bureau of Justice Crime Statistics
2004, U.S. residents' age 12 or older experienced approximately 24 million crimes, according to findings from the National Crime Victimization Survey.
' 77% (18.6 million) were property crimes
' 22% (5.2 million) were crimes of violence
' 1% were personal thefts
In 2004 for every 1,000 persons age 12 or older, there occurred:
' 1 rape or sexual assault
' 2 assault with injury
' 2 robberies
Property crime victims
Property crime includes burglary, motor vehicle theft and property theft
Age
When compared with other age groups, persons age 65 or older were disproportionately affected by property crimes.
Between 1993 and 2002--
' Annually on average, 2.5 million property crimes against persons ages 65 or older occurred.
' More than nine in ten crimes against the elderly and less than four in ten crimes against persons age 12 to 24 were property crimes.
Race
In 2004--
' Black households experienced higher levels of property crime than white households; property crimes were experienced by 191 of 1,000 black households and 157 of 1,000 white households.
' Burglaries were experienced by 44 of 1,000 black households and 28 of 1,000 white households.
' For motor vehicle theft, the rates were 16 per 1,000 black households and 8 per 1,000 white households.
' The theft rate was 131 per 1,000 black households and 122 per 1,000 white households
' Per every 1,000 persons in that racial group, 26 blacks, 21 whites and 13 persons of other races sustained a violent crime.
' Black and white persons experienced similar rates of simple assault.
Black, white, and other races experienced about the same rates of rape/sexual assault.
According to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports, in 2004 about 49% of murder victims were white, 47% were black, and 3% were Asians, Pacific Islander, and Native Americans.
Ethnicity
' Property crime rates, motor vehicle theft rates, and theft rates in general were higher for Hispanic than non-Hispanic households.
' Property crime rates for Hispanics were 204 per 1,000 households, and non-Hispanics were 156 per 1,000 households.
' Hispanic households had motor vehicle theft rates at 19 per 1,000 compared to 7 per 1,000 for non-Hispanics.
Hispanic households were almost twice as likely to have a motor vehicle stolen than non-Hispanic households.
Annual household income
No relationship between annual household income and the rate of total property crime emerged in 2003 and 2004, except for household earning less than $7,500.
During 2003 and 2004--
' Households with an annual income below $35,000 were burglarized at rates higher than those of households with larger incomes.
' Households with an annual income below $7,500 were burglarized at rates higher than those of households with larger incomes.
' Households earning $25,000 to $34,999 were more likely to experience motor vehicle theft than households earning $50,000 to $74,999.
Households earning below $7,500 and above $75,000 experience motor vehicle theft at similar rates.
Consider these facts:
' A residence is broken into somewhere in the United States
every 10 seconds according to "Uniform Crime reports" U.S. Department of Justice.
' Houses without alarms are 3 times more likely to have a burglar break-in.
The chances of a burglar break-in are highest when you move into a new home.
' Over one-third (1/3) of all crimes of violence begin with illegal entry as stated by the FBI and U.S. Department of Justice statistics.
' Contrary to popular belief, a burglar doesn't only work at night. They prefer to work between 9:30 A.M. and 4 P.M. when you are aren't there to protect your home and children.
' Burglar Intrusions are 400% less likely to occur at homes equipped with home security systems. This was the finding of a 2 year study by Simon Hakim and Andrew Buck at Temple University "Effectiveness of Burglar Alarms".
' Homes using security systems are less burglarized than homes with dogs, exterior lights, deadbolts, bars on windows and cars in the driveway.
' 90% of police chiefs believe security systems DO deter burglaries. - according to the International Association of Chiefs of Police
' Homes without security systems are 2.2 times more likely to be burglarized than those without. That's why security systems can save you money.
' Insurance companies provide a 10 - 24% discount off of their homeowner insurance premiums for those with monitored security systems.
These facts and statistics are the reason more and more homes in the U.S. are turning to home security systems to provide the peace of mind that comes from knowing that a security system with security monitoring is protecting their home and family, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. |
Author Bio:
Moira MacKenzie is a principle for Nationwide Security Solutions and represents Honeywell Security products along with Monitronics Security Monitoring in the Pacific Northwest. |
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