A recent report shows that the streets have gotten a little safer since last year.
 
According to the FBI, crime rates across the country dipped for the second year in a row. They recently released their Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report, which states that 2008 saw a 2.5 percent decrease in the number of violent crimes.
 
Property crimes also decreased by 1.6 percent last year, but it was way down in the West (4.2 percent drop). However these types of crimes did increase by 1.6 in the Northeast; the rate of burglaries also surged 1.3 percent nationwide.
 
Thankfully, crimes like rape, robbery and murder all dropped as much as 4.4 percent across the country.
 
The FBI didn’t offer any reason for the recent decline in most offenses (they leave that to criminologists), but they warn that you shouldn’t be mislead by the numbers. They said the best way to determine a threat is to consider the variables in your area. Take a look at things like population density, the strength of your local law enforcement and economic conditions.
 
It’s also a good idea to take the size of your city into account: locales with less than 10,000 residents saw an increase in the amount of violent crime.
 
The best advice, though, is to always be careful while you’re out. Make sure to pay attention to where you and who’s around you.

-- Sonya Eskridge

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