Crimes of convenience rise as the economy tightens. At least it seems that way to two border towns' police departments.
Plaistow has seen a dramatic increase in copper thefts, as well as in jewelry grabs, police Sgt. Patrick Caggiano said.
Salem has seen more metal thefts, especially copper, including three hauls at one business over the past three weekends, Deputy Chief Bill Ganley said.
"Times get tough, people take advantage of easy (opportunities)," Ganley said.
The three copper thefts took place at Gateway Resource Recovery at 69 Lowell Road, also known as Route 38. Thieves got away with about 500 pounds — or $1,000 worth — of copper wire on July 13, $900 worth on July 4, and an undisclosed amount a week earlier, Ganley said.
But it's not just metal that makes a convenient target.
Salem continues to be plagued by smash-and-grab thefts from vehicles, Ganley said. In those crimes, thieves break a car window and take items, including GPS devices and cell phones.
In addition, gas siphoning has re-emerged as a problem, with gas hovering around $4 per gallon for unleaded regular, he said. It has been quite a while since the department received reports of thieves siphoning gas from vehicles' tanks, he said.
Caggiano said the Plaistow department has received more pawn slips from local shops of late. Owners must send police information about each sale within 24 hours. Jewelry sales must include photocopies of the items sold.
The information helped Plaistow police recover a wedding ring stolen in Massachusetts and $30,000 worth of items taken in a burglary in Vermont, Caggiano said.
Murray Straus, a sociology professor and co-director of the Family Research Laboratory at the University of New Hampshire, said it typically takes two to three years of data to identify a criminal trend in a given area. Still, in general, academics who study crime see a relationship between tough economic times and more property crime.
High unemployment rates, in particular, correlate to more crime.
"A lot of property crime is driven by there being nothing better to do," he said.
Ganley recommends a common sense approach to preventing crime. Keep car, garage and house doors locked. Install a light with a motion detector outside the house.
While most people learn to conserve when fuel, food and other prices go up, thieves tend to steal more, he said.
