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Crime reports, reporting crime

Media’s Effect on Crime

Local television stations, radio stations and newspapers do an outstanding job in reporting the news.The media opens an enormous window to our communities. A window that keeps us abreast of our cities current affairs.

Crime reports always find themselves front and centre because public safety is paramount in to-days world. And let’s face it, we all want to feel safe in our community. A survey commissioned by the Surrey R.C.M.P.last December reported that Surrey is an unsafe city after dark. Mayor Watts reported that the survey reveals a gap between reality and perception, considering crime in Surrey is on the decline.

She’s concerned the “fear of crime” is a mistaken perception. But is the fear of crime a bad thing? I don’t know of a citizen living in this community or any other for that matter who doesn’t fear being a victim of crime. We must be aware of the current crime situation in order to incorporate the necessary safety precautions.

Walking around oblivious to the world around us could put us in harms way. For the most part, people who fear crime are going to take a pro-active approach to dealing with the problem.

Whether it’s installing better locks, a security system or forming a “Block Watch” it all helps to reduce the criminal element in our communities. Complacency breeds crime! Forgetting to lock windows and doors, leaving your vehicle running while you return a video are not actions of people who fear crime.

As far as comparing realty with perception, I feel the two go hand in hand. Its the real world that determines perception. After reading about home invasions, break and enters and car thefts our perception could be less than rosy.

I salute the media for keeping us in the loop by providing updated information on the news as it happens. For many people of this community our local media is the only source of information they have. Neighborhood “Block Watch” reports don’t give a broad enough scope of the cities problem areas.

We need the media! I can’t imagine living without some sort of connection to the outside world. News can’t always be good and sometimes it can get darn right depressing, however we can learn from it and make the necessary life adjustments to keep ourselves and our families safe.

Don’t ignore your fears and concerns. Tackle your anxiety head on and do your part to curb crime. If we want to continue to live in a safe environment, we must first tune into our local media, get the facts, and adapt a pro-active approach to crime prevention.

I’d much rather live in a city where the crime stats are down with an element of fear than a city with elevated crime and complacent residents.