BCSO: ‘Crime of opportunity’ on the rise in Beaver Lake area
Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2008
BENTON COUNTY — After coming home from work, you discover something is just not right. Something is missing.
Not wanting to believe someone could have taken anything from you, you launch a massive search-andrescue operation. You begin scouring the house, the garage, the yard, and even your child’s bedroom, looking for the tools you are pretty sure were on the porch, the digital camera you swear was on the kitchen counter or even the rod and reel you caught the 10-pound bass with last summer.
After looking everywhere, even in the illogical places, you finally come to the conclusion that your valuables have been stolen and you call the Benton County Sheriff’s Office to file a report, hoping that something comes of it.
“ Theft is a crime of opportunity. If people provide that opportunity, other people will take advantage of it, ” said Deputy Doug Gay with the Benton County Sheriff’s Office.
In recent weeks, areas surrounding Beaver Lake, especially in the Prairie Creek area, have seen an increase in thefts: boat propellers, radios and fishing reels have become hot-ticket items for thieves.
“ People around the lake are leaving their boat docks open and creating an opportunity, but I would not isolate the thefts to Beaver Lake. This is a problem everywhere, ” Gay said.
Part of the problem, Gay said, is illegal drugs.
“ What drives theft ? Drugs. One of the most prevalent reasons people steal things is so they can sell it, get some quick cash and buy dope, ” Gay said, citing that many of the inmates currently housed in the county jail are there because of crimes they committed either while on drugs or while trying to get them. “ If we can eliminate illegal drugs in our community, I firmly believe we could eliminate 80 percent of the crime in the county. ”
One way to prevent thefts is to get back into “ the Mayberry mentality, ” Gay said.
“ We need to get back in the mentality of Mayberry day. Back in the Mayberry day, neighbors looked out for each other, and they noticed when someone strange was hanging around. When neighbors start to look out for each other, less crime happens, ” Gay said. “ Bella Vista has an excellent Crime Watch program with about 600 members. Those neighborhood watches allow the community to help themselves out. ”
When the Lost Bridge area began seeing an increase in crime, the Sheriff’s Office helped the community set up a neighborhood watch program, providing those interested with training and hand-held radios for patrols. Since the program launched in Lost Bridge, the area has seen a drop in thefts and other crimes, Gay said.
In order to prevent crime in and around your home, Gay suggests the following:
• Keep hedges trimmed. “ Do not let things grow up around the windows where people can hide or you cannot see out. If so, make (shrubbery ) offensive to the bad guys. Holly is really good, ” Gay said.
• Use flood detection lights to light up the exterior of your home. “ You want to be able to see what people outside the house are doing without them seeing what you are doing, ” Gay said.
• Stop the delivery of the newspaper if you are going to be out of town.
• Take boxes from largeticket items to the recycling center. “ We will see an increase in the theft of property, particularly as we get into the Christmas season. At Christmastime, people unwrap their gifts and put the packaging in the trash. Then what happens ? You just broadcast what is in your home to (the thieves ), ” Gay said.
If a community has a problem with crime, the Sheriff’s Office will provide training and hand-held radios to help residents set up a neighborhood watch program. Interested parties may call Gay at 271-1008.
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