Crime – Lakeland News

Recently, I came home after a hard day at work, made myself a late dinner, and turned on Netflix, hoping to find something unique and intriguing to watch.

I stumbled upon a very dark and somewhat disturbing film called “The Black Phone” which is set in Denver, Colorado in the late 1970s and is inspired by the heinous acts of some serial killers of that time who also kidnapped children.

When I saw the film, I had to think about crime, more specifically, how crime in the 70s compared to today.

It seems that we are inundated with reports of violent crime in the world around us these days. In fact, let us say that the overall situation is much worse today than it was just a few decades ago.

According to police-reported crime statistics, violent crime is on the rise in Canada. According to the Crime Severity Index (CSI), which measures crime in Canada, the rate of police-reported crime increased by three percent in 2023 compared to the previous year, to 5,843 incidents per 100,000 residents.

According to Statistics Canada, there was also a four percent increase in the number of serious crimes such as murder, assault, robbery and extortion.

While this may be a legitimate cause for concern, does it make our society less safe and result in fewer crimes being reported?

For many, these questions – as well as the question of what factors contribute to crime – seem to remain unanswered. There are a number of societal factors that can influence crime rates, including population and demographics, socioeconomic conditions, family stability and poverty.

Many people – myself included at times – get nostalgic and think back to the good old days when criminals were punished with harsh prison sentences rather than getting off with a slap on the wrist. While those who commit violent acts – and prove to be a threat to public safety – must be removed from society, others, including troubled youths who commit a minor crime for the first time, should not always be treated with such punitive measures.

Has crime gotten worse since the 1970s, or is that just our perception? Remember, in the decade that gave the world disco, Watergate, and Star Wars, there was no social media or internet, cell phones were the stuff of science fiction, and 24-hour news channels were a newfangled invention. The public, especially children and young people, were not exposed to nearly as much information as they are today.

Comparing Canada to our southern neighbor, large American cities were in many ways more dangerous in the 1970s than they are today. As for Canada, it is important to remember that the population of our major cities has only grown significantly in the last decade or so. And while some say that increased immigration leads to crime, the findings of many academics and researchers say otherwise.

Yes, there will always be crime in our society and while we must protect ourselves and our communities, we must also get on with our lives and not live in fear. The world has always been a dangerous place (at least to some degree), we are just more aware of these dangers today.