Caribbean Crime: Keeping Yourself Safe

Since the 1980s, the Caribbean region has been struggling against its own inner demon: crime. Citizens of the Caribbean have quickly learned that rising crime rates on one island can negatively affect other islands in the vicinity. While the islands still offer some of the most beautiful scenery in the world, travelers can sometimes feel insecure about their surroundings, making relaxation more of a challenge.

Several recent news stories about crimes in the Caribbean, including the highly covered disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway, have reignited the debate over how to keep the islands safe for travelers. Concern for safety has even inspired a conference in late October, the second Caribbean Conference on Crime and Criminal Justice, and a statement by the Caribbean Commissioners of Police about ways travelers can stay safe. These efforts are visible steps officials are taking to help travelers feel more secure about their vacations, especially as the Caribbean's tourist season approaches.

Studying Crimes

One of the biggest problems in studying crime among the islands has been that, until recently, few efforts had been made to distinguish crime against island residents from crime against visitors. Obtaining clear and specific crime data has become an important step toward fighting crime in the islands, and newer studies have revealed that violent crimes against vacationers in the Caribbean islands are indeed rare occurrences. While Jamaica, for example, may be known for its high murder rates, the vast majority of murders are crimes by Jamaican nationals against Jamaican nationals.

Vacationers planning a trip to the islands are more likely to encounter petty theft and other nonviolent crimes than anything else. However, as recent events have shown, this is not a certainty. Some believe that areas inundated with tourists have higher crime rates against tourists because there are as many visitors as residents, while others believe that the relaxed attitude of most travelers is the main contributing factor in these crimes. Although there are several different theories about this, one thing is certain – travelers who take precautions generally do not experience such problems during their stay.

Staying Safe

The best way to be safe during Caribbean travel is to avoid making the mistakes most vacationers make – just because you're on vacation doesn't mean you shouldn't be cautious. Leaving valuables in plain view in a hotel room or rental car, leaving doors unlocked, displaying too much wealth, and wearing flashy jewelry are all ways to attract thieves. Remember that you are far from home, and replacing valuables, such as a stolen wallet, will be even more difficult. Take the same precautions you would take at home or in any big city to avoid losing important items.

Another way travelers can stumble upon trouble is by walking into "bad" areas of town. It's common sense to avoid walking down a dark alley in most cities, but vacationers may not always recognize a part of town that locals know to avoid. If an area makes you feel uneasy, or would make you feel uneasy at home, it's probably best to avoid that area, especially at night. Women particularly should take extra precautions at night and avoid walking alone.

While some believe that tourist-heavy areas inspire more crimes against tourists, these areas have established more rigid security measures to help travelers stay safe. It is difficult to determine whether these areas are more or less safe than any other location. However, one certainty is that most travelers to the Caribbean have never experienced any sort of crime.

Travelers who return year after year to experience all the Caribbean offers rarely tell stories of vacations turning into horrible experiences. So with just a bit of caution in mind, it's still safe to relax on a Caribbean vacation while the island governments work to put a stop to the troubles that can keep travelers from their shores.

Identity Theft: The New Technology Crime

Identity Theft in the Western World has increased dramatically since the beginning of the millennium and has replaced credit card fraud as the new number one technology crime.

What It Is

Identity Theft is when someone steals (uses) someone else’s identity for the purpose of personal or financial gain, or in order to support the commission of a criminal act.

Specific Examples

Specific examples of identity theft involve the perpetrator posing as someone else to obtain credit, to hide from the authorities or others, to conceal a criminal past, to obtain access under an assumed identity to an otherwise “off limits” facility, or to cross a border. The ideal identity for most seeking a new one, is that of an average working citizen; one with a fairly ordinary life that will enable the perpetrator to blend in easily.

In the past, before the prevalence of computer databases and the Internet, most identity thieves would use the identities of the deceased by taking names and dates of birth from grave markers. The next step would be to obtain family information, such as the names of parents and family members under the guise of doing family history research. Once this information was acquired, a request for copies of the birth certificate and other personal identification documents would be made and used to impersonate the deceased. However, with the computer cross-referencing of birth, death and other personal identification records by government agencies this method is seldom used.

The current methods employed by identity thieves is to obtain personal information from stolen or “cracked” government and corporate computer databases and from publicly available or low level restricted access sources such as credit bureaus, public records services, online resume databases, genealogical databases and personal web pages. Depending on the purpose for the stolen identity, the depth of information required on the target individual will vary. For instance, someone interested in obtaining credit in the name of the target may only require a credit report or social insurance number, date of birth and resume. A terrorist interested in crossing a border or gaining access to a high security facility would require more of the target’s personal information in order to obtain copies of the official documents required. An individual interested in assuming the identity of another for a year or more would no doubt obtain as much personal information as possible such as the high school attended, names of relatives and pets, and even take up the sports and hobbies of their target.

Regardless of the motive, an identity theft usually centers around the use of either copies and newly issued personal identification documents or altered and forged documents made to appear like officially issued original documents. While the Western world possesses the technology to cross-reference and validate most legitimately issued government documents, other countries are not as advanced or vigilant. The result is that people with altered, forged and duplicate copies of official documents have a 3 out of 10 chance of passing these questionable documents and themselves as the genuine article.

Once a person’s identity is stolen, it takes an average of 18 months after the fact before the crime is discovered. This is largely due to the fact that the identity thief while using another’s identity will attempt to maintain a low profile. Also, the public is generally unaware of the discrete signs of identity theft and despite the role of technology in society the ability to positively identify individuals is not cost efficient, practical or socially acceptable. As a matter of fact, in 8 out of 10 identity theft cases worldwide, the perpetrator is first arrested on a different criminal charge where upon further investigation it is discovered that the individual is not who they claim to be. In essence, the stolen identity was used as an aid in order to perpetrate a more profitable crime.

Tell Tale Signs That Your Identity Has Been Stolen

1. You apply for a loan or other form of credit and are turned down, yet you know your credit is good.

2. You receive telephone calls or mail personally addressed to you from financial, retail or collection agencies that you have never done business with at your home or office.

3. Balances on credit card statements or bank accounts are inaccurate.

4. Expected items containing personal information that are to be mailed to you become lost or unreasonably delayed in the mail.

Reduce The Risk of Someone Stealing Your Identity

1. Report any lost or stolen identification immediately to the issuer and the authorities.

2. Make photocopies of the back and front of all identification, keep it a safe place and use it as a reference when you have to report lost or stolen items. If going on vacation, leave this record with a relative at home, so that if your identification is stolen, you have someone who can report all the details on your behalf.

3. Never give out key identification information to people or companies you do not know, or post them on your personal web site. Key information in obtaining identification includes date of birth, mother’s maiden name, names of both parents, your high school, current employer, social insurance or social security number, city of birth, your bank, credit card numbers, driver’s license number, or license plate number. If a professional identity thief has any two of these items it is a relatively easy task to obtain further information on you, obtain or forge identification documents and steal your identity.

4. Check your credit report on an annual basis or before you apply for financing for a major item such as a new home or car. If you see loans and credit cards on your report that you have never applied for, this is a tip off that your identity has been stolen, report these immediately to the authorities, credit grantors and credit bureau.

5. When throwing out any documents that have personal information on them, shred them first using a cross-cut or micro-cut shredder. This includes old credit card and bank statements, resumes and similar documents. Some identity thieves will stop at nothing and going through garbage, also known as dumpster diving, is how many criminals get your personal information.

6. Always check credit card and bank statements for unauthorized transactions. Report these immediately to your financial institution.

7. Clear your mailbox regularly; mail theft and interception of mail is the most common low tech form of getting the basic information on an unknowing victim.

8. Never leave invoices or personal mail in your vehicle.

Two Way Radio Used In The Fight Against Crime

Walk down the main street of many town or city in Europe or the United States at 11pm on a Saturday evening and there is every chance you could witness alcohol fueled anti social behaviour. This article looks at how businesses are using modern 2 way radios in the fight against crime.

Property damage, alcohol related unsocial behaviour, knife crime even the occasional shooting are just some of the things you could face on the high streets of the United Kingdom, Europe and the US on a night out. So faced with potential trouble on their doorsteps on any given night of the year, business owners and particularly those in the licensed trade are now turning to the use of two way radios as a way to protect their business in the fight against crime.

Owners of restaurants, pubs, bars, music venues and clubs or indeed any premises that sells alcohol is potentially exposed to trouble as a direct result of excessive alcohol or drug consumption. Therefore as most of the anti social behaviour is caused by people of all ages who are drunk and out of control businesses are fighting back.

In the past, going out for a few drinks with friends might once have been a walk down the high street at a certain time of the evening that resulted in nothing but a happy and pleasurable experience. However with anti social behaviour on the increase, a night out in town could now turn into a battle ground with drunken yobs abuse, threats in some cases physical violence possibly on the agenda.

Drunken behaviour, on street drinking, the throwing of glasses and bottles, shouting abuse at passes by, theft, drug taking, vandalism and assaults are some of the issues facing business owners and door personnel of pubs, clubs, bars and other licensed trade establishments.

Whether this new epidemic of late night trouble, fighting and bottle throwing is new or not isn’t really the issue. The fact is in many parts of the UK, US and world it is common place.

And whilst this problem is still thankfully in the minority, business owners and door staff are aware it happens and are therefore making sure their establishment is as safe as possible so their customers feel protected.

As the world in which we live potentially faces a recession, people will have less disposable income and therefore business owners have to make sure they do all they can to make sure their premises is looked upon more favourably than their competitors. One way in which licensed trade premises can do this is by employing qualified and reliable door staff who are equipped with the latest radio technology in the form of two way radio.

Many successful businesses are being proactive in the fight against trouble and crime with the sole aim of making your evening an enjoyable experience. Schemes currently in operation include the UK pubwatch scheme which is a police approved scheme that ensures our night time venues are safer places. Pub Watch uses CCTV and 2 way radio so trained staff can spot potential trouble makers and communicate amongst each other to monitor and control them before the trouble get out of hand.

Schemes like Pub Watch are most successful when all those involved including music venues, arenas, sports stadiums, pubs, clubs, door staff and the Police keep in touch so they can identify and deal with potential trouble makers and problems.

2 Way Radio gives everyone involved a solution that offers value for money and an affordable way to the problem of anti social behaviour. In fact after paying for the handset there is no rental or call charges. With robust and reliable two way radios being it has never been easier for business owners to stay in touch and make their premises as safe and free of trouble as possible.

In the world in which we currently live, criminal damage and anti social behaviour is a fact of life but steps are being taken to address the issue and solutions to the problem are available by using two way radio.

Businesses in the industries ranging from pubs and clubs to retailers and schools are using 2 way radio to stay in touch and make them safe. Two Way Radio, the perfect way to stay safe and stay in touch.

Civilian Crime Fighters

Australian Volunteers Against Crime (AVAC) Crime Watch

Much of our neighborhood and city-based crime is a direct result of drug abuse. Many of the home break-ins and car break-ins are a result of addicts looking for quick money or cashable items to pay for their next hit. Many citizens are victims of this behavior and would love to find a way to fight back to stop this predation on our citizens.

In Canberra, capital city of Australia, some citizens simply had enough of becoming victims of crime and decided to fight back. They decided they had had enough of suffering from break-ins to their offices, their cars and even their homes.

To set the scene of how a small group of seven citizens formed a civilian Crime Fighting organization, we need to study the situation that the Gorman House Arts Centre found itself in.

Gorman House Arts Centre comprises eight heritage buildings situated on a city block close to the civic centre of Canberra. The Gorman House precinct is home to about 40 art organizations. Some are famous like The Australian Choreographic Centre, The ACT Writers Centre, The Canberra Youth Theatre, Art Gallery and a host of artists. An award winning sage restaurant is also part of the complex and was a direct target of criminals seeking their takings.

When I came to work at the Art Centre as the buildings and grounds manager in 1997 I was also given the job of Security manager as I had trained in Security and was a registered security officer. When I arrived I found the tenants were in a state of siege from criminals that preyed on the organizations that worked at Gorman House.

I discovered that each year there were over seventy break-ins that occurred through windows, doors and through the tiled roof areas. There were continuous bag snatches, snatch and grabs when offenders rushed into offices and made off with valuables. There were regular drug deals centered on the several public toilet areas. And cars belonging to tenants were continually being broken into. Most weeks I was called out at night by our security company to attend new break-ins and secure the premises. Tenants were scared and frightened by this constant predation on them and the premises.

I made arrangements to meet with Federal police officers at the Civic police station. There I met a sergeant who was extremely interested in helping me attack our problem head-on. He came out to the Art Centre and I showed him around. He quickly showed he had a good understanding of what was happening and made some very astute observations and provided me with advice and suggestions as to what we would do to stop this predation on the Art Centre.

His first suggestion was to lock all toilet doors. Only tenant key holders in future would have access. This would stop the toilets from being a meeting place for drug dealers and use by addicts. The second he suggested was for us at the Art Centre to form our own undercover crime fighting organization. We approached 6 tenants who were located in strategic areas of the Centre and asked for their help. They all readily agreed to become under cover observers. They had had enough of the crime and wanted to fight back! Their job was now to observe any criminal activity such as drug dealers, addicts and vehicles used by these people. They were to take accurate descriptions of offenders, provide exact times and places these people met around the area. They were then to write up accurate and detailed Incident reports and provide them to me daily so I could record them and then send them directly to the Police Intelligence office.

The security company was also briefed and became a willing arm to our strategy. Then, almost immediately the Incident Reports started coming in, and police fielded their undercover teams. We installed a squad in strategic offices and theatres near where the offenders congregated and police officers could watch from cover what was happening.

As soon as a drug deal went down the undercover officers would slip quietly out of the observation area and grab the addicts and dealers in one swoop. In a matter of weeks the whole area quietened down. Also when ever a police patrol car was in the neighborhood they would swing around Gorman House showing a strong police presence.

In the first year of operations we reduced the crime rate down from 72 major incidents down to 35. The next year it dropped to 15 incidents. And the police had arrested 122 offenders. Most went to jail. But in the third year we began to experience, what appeared to be 'copy cat' break-ins. However, when the offenders were caught it was found they were previous offenders that were away in jail but had completed their sentence and had come back to continue their life of crime in the area they were most familiar with. It says something for the undercover work that we were doing that the criminals had no got on to the fact Gorman House was now a dangerous place for criminals to prey on! These re-offenders went back to jail.

Five years on, the precinct is a safe place to visit and work in. We seldom have more than three or four minor incidents a year. This is all mainly due to the brave civilian under cover crime fighters that took up the challenge and fought back.

This example can be taken up by any community that is sick and tired of being victims of criminal activity. A proactive police force, combined with citizens and a proactive security firm can beat the criminals every time.

With our growing experience in civilian crime fighting I produced a Crime Watch Manual for teaching the surveillance and observation techniques to new members and others wishing to learn. If every citizen knew these techniques and could provide several high quality leads to Police Crime Stoppers every year, crime would take a beating. We can make our workplaces and neighborhoods safe again.

Sentencing And Reduction In Crime

Crime rate has always been an issue that people liked to argue about. Major concerns are always about the actions that can lower the crime rate. In some countries it is just the problem of education, some experience difficulties with overall stability of economics, and in some crime is a part of a country’s culture. However, in the U.S. the situation is different as the country does not fall into any category listed above. The crime rate can be reduced by two methods: first, find reasons for criminal behavior and then take actions to lower the crime rate according to these reasons or second, strict the punishment so individuals that considered committing crime would think twice before taking some prohibited by the law actions. The effectiveness of tougher sentencing may cause a problem by the distortion created by incarceration and unclear results both at the individual and aggregate level.

According to the public, the present sentences are not substantial enough. They are out of proportion to the seriousness of crime committed. Referring to the statistics, there is only a 2% chance that a person who committed a robbery will be sentence to prison. These numbers make people really think if we need stricter sentencing. Some may argue that it is only a robbery, however, if a person can let himself or herself commit a robbery what can stop him/her of committing the murder. Stricter sentencing, together with minimum sentences for particular felonies and automatic incarceration for persistent lawbreakers, instead of bigger police expenditure, has become the latest reaction to the apparent increase in crime.

It is a well-known hypothesis that criminal actions are directly related with possible outcome of the unwanted situation (being caught). To be simple, if the criminal certainly knows that he/she will be responsible for offence and this responsibility will be of high strictness the chances of committing the offence will be much lower. Some countries, especially Asian, have a death penalty for a number of crimes. For example, if someone caught with drugs, no matter if using them, selling, or just having in the pocket he/she will be sentenced to death. Most likely that this way the authorities just scare the potential lawbreakers and not change the psychology, however, this method works positively on reducing the crime rate.

As I mentioned before there are basically two sets of strategies to stimulate the potential lawbreaker: encouraging that consists of alternatives to crime that a government can offer to a potential offender or discouraging such as strong punishment. If we view criminals as the ones that want to maximize the efficacy at the lowest risk, we would expect them to compare actual utility from the illegal activity to the utility of the perfectly legal action. In case of applying some knowledge from economics we can easily draw the graph of supply and demand; at the point where two lines intersect would be the market equilibrium for criminal activity. To make it completely understandable, the higher the risk to be jailed the lower criminal activity would be. Consequently, incarceration would reduce crime by applying the preventive effect and declining the number of offenders and this effect basically will create the utility of alternative. The result of this idea is vitally dependent on the suppositions that a person makes and thus the effect will depend on person’s attitude towards risk, length of imprisonment, and other results that will the unfavorable situation for a criminal will lead to.

Crime is actually viewed from the economic prospective more often than people think. Economic scholars instead of analyzing the economy write books analyzing the interrelation of economics and crime. One of them was Becker who made the model in long 1968 which supposed that people act rationally in response to the possible effect of their action . Simply speaking, people are most likely to commit the crime if the wanted benefit is greater than its cost. It is just like business: if the possible income is greater than the costs then it makes sense to start this business. We should also take into account the possibility of failure which would be the nominal risk for the offender this case. As in economics we would consider the effects of possible failure on the entrepreneur in this case the strictness of punishment should be taken to account. If we take all these things and put them together in one equation like Becker did, we would attain that expected utility of the crime is directly dependent on probability of capture, the monetary value taken out from crime, and the results if punished. Becker came to a conclusion that negative results of punishment reflect the severity of punishment will prevent crime. Although, Becker did not completely explain the possible outcome of the situation when the fear of punishment stops to be the issue for the criminal. In other words, is there a critical point of dread of the punishment for a potential offender?

Becker concluded that if a person prefers to take risk then one percent in the probability of punishment will have greater deterrent effect than a one percent increase in the severity of punishment and completely the opposite would be true if a person is not willing to take great risk. A great influence would also have the percentage of time that a person would spend on illegal activities compared to the percentage of legal activities. A person that spends most of his/her time on something that is illegal may not be that affected by stricter punishment than a person that spends most of his/her time on legal things.

The term "practical certainty" that was introduced almost twenty years ago states that people avoid difficulties of the decision making by taking things for granted. Instead of difficult economic calculations that Backer used, people will simply evaluate net income from the crime and alternative utilization of this time. This would have a need of the greatest enlargement of the possibility and strictness of sentence to result the decreasing trend in the crime rate.

Another great scholar of this whole issue is Ehrlich. His work is based on the market model of crime. Ehrlich disputes that it is not possible to evaluate the influence of imprisonment taking to account only individual cases. Incarceration could prevent the following crimes of the same offender. For instance, if one committed a crime and was jailed for it he/she will not be able to commit another crime in the reason of being in prison at the moment. Although, the preventive effect of jails does not mean anything to recidivists, people that do illegal things all their lives. They do not need the alternatives from crime, crime is the best alternative for them, and they do not really care about how high the risk is and how strict the punishment is.

Most states have initiated tougher sentencing for recidivists and for crimes that have a link to the charge of additional criminal acts. Since 1990, the number of people in custody has risen more than 577,100, or 1,708 inmates per week. By the 1998, more than 1.7 million people were confined in state, federal, and local correctional facilities. As the repeat criminals were taken off the streets, the U.S. actually achieved a decline in the crime rate.

In response to crime, possible sufferers from the crime choose much higher levels to protect themselves, by doing this they increase the preventive effect and consequently increase the costs for the crime that criminals have to deal with. Boost in the costs for crime lowers the possible net gains that can be derived from the crime. In any case, it is not in favor of the public if the stricter sentencing is used because citizens pay for prisons from their taxes. If we consider the other option – to increase the means of self protection – it will negatively balance on people’s budget, since this one is not a very desirable expense for a regular citizen. If we refer to the statistics it is pretty easy to find out that during the last two decades of the twentieth century, expenditures for state and local prisons in the United States increased over 600%. For example, in Wisconsin during the past 13 years, the budget for the correction facilities have grown from $556 million in the 1992-93 to nearly $2 billion in the budget adopted for 2004-05-an increase of 257%. Since 1990, Wisconsin’s inmate population has more than tripled.

Luckily, we have a number of alternatives to tougher sentencing. The probable ones would be the rehabilitation programs or increase in the employment rate. As I mentioned in the beginning of my paper the low level of economics negatively influences the crime rate. Consequently, a high unemployment rate has a bad impact on overall crime. Thus, to achieve a lower crime rate not only we have to frighten the potential offenders by strict punishments but also create new working places and get people to work. However, there is not a hundred percent guarantee that the greatest improvement in unemployment will result the disappearance in crime. For example, in the former Soviet Union was practiced planned economy where the working spot was created for everyone, however, the actual crime rate was not the lowest one.

To summarize everything said above, the efficiency of tougher sentencing depends on individuals’ contribution and attitudes, especially the attitudes towards risk. It also depends on the willingness of people to take risk and be responsible for outcomes. It is obvious that imprisonment of offenders decrease the possibility of crimes that could have been happened if these offenders were free. The studies show that increasing the apprehension rate of possible offenders may have significant preventative effects that will sufficiently reduce the crime.

Deterring Crime In Your Store

Retail crime is increasing and 86% loss of stock through crime or wastage was attributed to crime in 2005, according to a report released by the Centre for Retail Research in the UK in the latter part of that year.

The survey covered a large number of European retail businesses, who returned results that suggested that external burglary and theft by staff were the biggest causes of loss. These figures are rising and yet, in 2005, an estimated €7633m was spent on installing and updating security measures.

It’s clear that deterring crime is a major challenge for retailers all over the world and, as with many such challenges, a combination of approaches is often the best solution.

Suspicious behaviour

Learning to identify suspicious behaviour is a key part of crime prevention. Retail managers and staff should be properly trained so that they know what to look for in terms of body language, verbal questions and recognised shoplifting tactics. The more skilled staff are in spotting these behaviours, the more likely they are to raise the alarm or step in before a crime is committed.

Placing of stock and monies

Most retailers want to put their best goods in the window or near to the entrance, to attract shoppers into the store. Unfortunately, unprotected, high-value goods can also attract criminals, so use alternative methods of display that deter thieves from trying to steal the merchandise. Examples of this could be lockable cases for jewellery and visible electronic tags for clothing. Similarly, you should have a secure method of dealing with cash payments, including times when money needs to be taken from the till.

Monitoring systems

A highly visible and advertised CCTV system can also act as a deterrent to retail criminals. Strategically-placed cameras that can be easily seen by staff and customers, together with noticeable warnings that monitoring is in place and the consequences of attempting to steal from your store can be very effective. You can always take advice from retail security specialists or community police officers who can advise you on the best way to run a CCTV system.

Americans Fear Crime

Are you afraid of crime? Do you think about becoming the victim of crime often? According to the Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics, many Americans fear becoming the victim of crime often. As I will show in this article, the fear crosses all lines—sex, race, education, age and profession. Subjects were asked if they were afraid to walk alone around their neighborhood or any area within one mile from it at night. The results may surprise you. They will clearly show that fear of walking alone at night is one of the most common fears among Americans.

According to the most recent data available, only 19% of all men surveyed said they felt safe walking at night alone around their neighborhood. In stark contrast, 47% of all women surveyed said they felt perfectly fine walking alone. Looking back at the earliest numbers available, which would be from 1973, illustrates that this response is normal. In 1973, only 20% of men surveyed felt safe walking alone at night verses an astounding 59% for women.

Among white individuals, an average of 30% feel safe walking at night in their neighborhoods. Contrast that to the 41% of black individuals that felt safe. Even though there is a slight disparity among races, the numbers still show that the majority of people don’t feel safe at night. Historically, the numbers for white individuals who feel safe at night has always been 10-22% lower. The numbers only go back to 1973. One would think that the numbers might be different if the study was conducted in the 1950s and 1960s.

Education and age factors are similar. No matter what the education or age difference, the fear level is about the same. For instance, regardless of the education level obtained, roughly 68% of those with some schooling were afraid to walk at night around their neighborhood. Those individuals that were 21-49 showed the most fear. 71% of those surveyed in this group were afraid. The least afraid group was 18-20 year-old individuals. However, 59% of this group was still afraid of walking at night.

As far as professions go, those in the Clerical/Support field were less likely to be afraid at night. Just over half, 54%, stated that they were afraid to walk alone at night in around their neighborhood. Those in the Manual/Service field were most likely to be afraid—74%. As you can see, fear of walking alone at night in one’s own proverbial backyard is a frightening event for most Americans. There’s little doubt that the media and their constant barrage of criminal sensationalism has something to do with this. However, historical data proves that it’s a condition that has existed for some time and shows no sign of vanishing anytime soon.