Surge in US crime not as ‘dramatic’ as portrayed
The increase reported in violent crime in American major cities is not as “dramatic” as portrayed in a recent survey, an analyst says.
The mid-year survey released by the Major Cities Chiefs Association shows 307 more homicides in 2016 compared to the same period last year.
In an interview with Press TV on Sunday, the chief editor and director of the AttacktheSystem.com, Keith Preston, said the crime rate across the country has actually “dropped” compared to its peak in the 70s and 80s and the rise is reported just as such rates “fluctuate” at times.
“Over the last 20 years, violent crime rates have been declining in the United States… Now, there is evidence that the amount of homicides and other violent crimes have increased since last year; however, the increases have not been dramatic; they’ve not been off the chart or a polar opposite of what they have been over recent years,” he said. “It’s natural that violent crime rates and other crime rates are going to fluctuate somewhat.”
He also suggested that the report serves the interests of conservatives trying to portray Democratic President Barack Obama as incapable of fighting crime.
“What’s happening is that in this country, the right wing, including Donald Trump and others, are trying to claim that Obama has somehow been soft on crime.”
They also want to make police officers look as if they are “afraid to do their jobs” due to anti-police brutality protests and Black Lives Matter demonstrations.
“There’s not much evidence to support that,” noted the Virginia-based commentator. “If you eliminate Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles and a number of other large American cities, where crime is particularly problematic, the United States actually has lower crime statistics than many other countries that have a comparable level of development.”
The recent surge, on the other hand, could have various reasons, on which “there’s no consensus among criminologists, and sociologists,” Preston said, outlining possible reasons for the rise as “tougher” measures against crime, the American ageing population, as well as a higher abortion rate, among others.
In addition to the surge in homicides, the Major Cities Chiefs Association also reported 1,000 more robberies, almost 2,000 more aggravated assaults and more than 600 non-fatal shootings.
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