Fear Of Crime

The American public, regardless of age, fears crime more than any other potentially dangerous event. Although the likelihood of sustaining an injury in a crime pales in comparison to automobile accidents, and slip-and-fall injuries, the fear of crime causes many to suffer the most stress.
National surveys about crime have revealed the following:



Seniors Believe They Are Most Susceptible to:

Murder
Rape and aggravated assault
Armed robbery
Theft from person
Burglary
Fraud

In reality, the crimes that most affect them (in order) are the following:

Purse snatch related crimes
Fraud and confidence crimes
Theft of mail (checks)
Vandalism
Burglary
Murder

The Role of the Media

A lot of credit for this topsy turvey view of crime goes to our nation's news media. Albeit unintentional, they nevertheless lead the public to believe the murders, robberies, and rapes they report on have become commonplace events.. They are not. To the contrary, older adults are the least likely to become the victim of a violent crime. Unfortunately, fear sells, and the news media knows it and uses it to their advantage. As they see it, if their customers demand such coverage, then they would be foolish not to comply.

Should you doubt the truth of this observation, consider the following. When was it that you last read about or viewed a program that detailed any of the countless frauds that force many older adults into bankruptcy? When was the last time you read a book about fraud or confidence crimes? If like most citizens, fraud and con games exist as little more than trivial events that really don’t harm anyone. And if you’re not interested, then neither are the media who provide us with what we ask for.

Special Treatment?

If true, and older adults are less likely to suffer serious injures at the hands of a criminal, then why all the fuss? Why, as some have asked, do we create special units to address senior citizen crime issues, when such efforts should involve those most apt to be victimized? Although few people, including law enforcement officers could answer these questions, there exists an observable and valid justification for such special treatment.

With most crime victims, their unfortunate encounter with a criminal is one of sheer chance. The criminal invests little or no forethought when deciding whom to target. Unfortunately for older adults, there exists a multitude of criminals who specifically target them as their victims of choice. Because of this criminal specialization, these thugs have gained an alarming amount of knowledge about their intended prey. This knowledge is then used with steadfast accuracy. So skillful have they become at their criminal trade that it is often difficult, if not impossible, to hold them accountable.

Saying that senior citizens are less prone to physical injuries does not mean they don't sometimes get hurt. When injuries are received, they tend to be very serious because older bodies that do not heal as quickly as the rest of the population.

Isolation

Because many senior citizens so fear crime, they tend to isolate themselves and only leave home when absolutely necessary. This might seem like a reasonable act of self preservation, but it only makes it easier for the con artists to victimize them. How so, you ask? As any fisherman will tell you, catching fish in a trout pond is much easier then trying to catch those fish in a stream or lake. With isolated seniors, the con artists know where to find them and how to become their best friends. Seniors who never imagined that their telephone would lead them to financial ruin, soon learn the true meaning of the word poverty.

Why Are Seniors A Target Of Choice?

Criminals target older adults for many reasons, but the most important include:

Seniors are usually more trusting and easier to approach. They lived in an era where trust and lending a helping hand was the norm.

Older adults are aware of the negative stereotyping associated with their advanced age. Not wishing to play into those stereotypes often leads to a common and self--defeating practice. The abusive habit involves a willingness to allow many of the crimes committed against them to go unreported. This refusal renders many seniors the criminal’s biggest ally. From the offender’s vantage point, with no chance of being caught or stopped, victimizing older adults is little more than a high-profit, low risk endeavor.

Please note that reporting all offenses does not mean they will all result with the suspect’s arrest. However, such reporting will alert officers who can in turn warn others about the criminals working within any particular neighborhood. Experience has shown that such knowledge has spared many others from falling prey to these criminals.

Summary:

Older adults do not possess an accurate understanding about the crimes that affect them. Until this becomes a reality, they will not take the proper steps to protect themselves.

Fear of crime, coupled with ignorance about our criminal justice system, prevents many seniors from reporting their encounter with a criminal. All officers having contact with older adult victims need to take time to assure that these people possess an accurate understanding of their rights, and of what will occur once they file a report.

The media needs to, even if only occasionally, provide its customers with a better understanding of the crimes they are most apt to encounter.

Because of the serious impact crime has on older adults, more attention and effort must be given to this segment of our population. Such services need not be extensive or costly, only consistent. Absent longevity and constancy, any service intended to improve the safety of our community's older adults is little more than window dressing.

©Written by: Lt. Dennis M. Marlock

Psychological first aid for victims

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