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One of the biggest upsurges in crime across the nation is burglaries. Thefts, many of which occur with the use of a firearm, are especially plaguing commercial establishments like restaurants, small convenience stores, and banks. The cities and towns surrounding San Francisco have been particularly hard hit.
The total number of robberies in the nine-county region was up nearly 40 percent in 2007 compared with 2004, according to the FBI’s most recent figures. According to Erin McCormick, a reporter with the San Francisco Chronicle, more than 40 robberies occur every day in the Bay Area up considerably from even a few years ago.
According to McCormick, some of the worst spots are places that attract commuters and shoppers, as well as restaurants. Strong-arm robberies where the assailants used only bodily force, are the most prevalent. But in both San Francisco and Oakland, the percentage of robberies involving guns has crept up since 2005 – from 30 to 39 percent.
Laptops, iPods, and fancy cell phones are also hot items for robbers and some law enforcement experts say that the enormous popularity of these expensive, easy-to-sell accessories being used in public places could be a major factor driving the robbery surge.
“Robberies are the soup du jour of crime,” David Kozicki, the deputy police chief of Oakland, told McCormick. Kozicki, said his city has been hit hardest by the recent takeover robberies where armed thieves force customers and employees of restaurants to hand over their money.
“I’ve heard from cities around the nation,” Kozicki said. “Robberies are getting worse.” The uptick in robberies in the Bay Area follows a national trend that some experts fear signals the end of a long downturn that began in the 1990s and has allowed once-crime-ridden areas to grow into trendy neighborhoods. Now some of those areas are starting to see old crime problems returning.
The Chronicle examined location records of more than 30,000 robberies in San Francisco and Oakland since 2004, as well as statistics for other Bay Area cities.
Those results were gloomy. Between 2004 and 2006, robberies spiked in the region, going from 11,264 a year to 15,698. In 2007 the area recorded 15,646 robberies. Statistics for the entire Bay Area won’t be available from the FBI until 2009.
But crime stats in San Francisco and Oakland show both cities’ numbers are higher this year as they are in many other cities across the United States and some cities in Canada. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites        
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