Pubdate: Thu, 28 Jun 2001 Source: Daily Reflector (NC) Copyright: 2001 Daily Reflector Contact: http://www.reflector.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1456 FIGHTING CRIME - LARGE INCREASE DEMANDS CONCERTED ACTION The recently released crime statistics show a spike in the number of crimes committed in Greenville and should be a call for dedicated citizens to redouble efforts to make this community safer. Crime statistics can misrepresent an area's lawlessness, but preliminary numbers saw Greenville's overall crime rate jump 16.3 percent from 1999 to 2000. Violent crime rose 6.5 percent in that period. Murder, assault, burglary, larceny and auto theft all saw increases. Only robberies decreased and the instances of rape remained the same. Recent fluctuations in the crime rate should soften the blow of such an increase; the rate dropped nearly 16 percent from 1998 to 1999. But that followed a 13 percent rise the year prior and gradual increases before that. Greenville's crime rate annually ranks with the state's largest cities. The factors that contribute to the city's high crime rate are many. The city's status as an oasis of prosperity amid a region of poverty is one, and the recent economic downturn is another. Those are beyond citizens' control, and will always be fodder for criminal activity. Cities successful in reducing crime routinely identify four areas of emphasis: education, employment, policing and rehabilitation. Citizens dedicated to making Greenville safer must begin here. Vigilant adherence to high education standards can help reduce crime. Progress in the Legislature and Pitt County's compact for education funding have made strides in improving the state's public education system, but success will not come overnight. Education will continue to require the public's dedicated support to show a worthwhile return. As a regional hub of employment, Pitt County finds itself well suited to lure industry and keep its citizens employed. Where the decline of farming has harmed most of the East, Pitt County's medical community and its university have helped ease the economic transition. Officials must continue to create a welcoming environment for business to locate here. Low unemployment, regionally as well as locally, will reduce crime. The timing of these statistics is disappointing, as local boards have finalized many budget decisions for the next fiscal year. But funding of the region's police and sheriff's departments is paramount. This crime jump should also cause those in charge to consider the effectiveness of their tactics. Additionally, officers and deputies should make added efforts to forge relationships with members of the community in high crime areas. Those relationships will pay dividends. Finally, the nation's reluctance to help rehabilitate criminals who are receptive to those overtures fails society. Lawbreaking, in many cases, demands incarceration as a fitting punishment, but attempting to rehabilitate the guilty might halt a career criminal before the second and third offenses. Rehabilitation has proved most effective with substance abusers, which also helps reduce crimes associated with drugs. In Greenville, especially, generous funding for effective programs should be considered. Citizens dedicated to making Greenville safer, as well as those charged with reducing crime and the citizens' protection, must take these numbers as a wake-up call. It will take the effort of all concerned to make noticeable progress and reverse this trend. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth