Crime statistics and trends

Crime Statistics

Using the FBI's crime database, Miami Beach had 9585 property crimes, 370 robberies, 473 aggravated assaults. These rates equate to 10,773 property crimes per 100,000 people; 416 robberies and 532 aggravated assaults (FBI, 2013). These rates are quite high. The high level of property crime, which would appear to see one out of every 10 people a victim of property crime every year, are probably explained by the high numbers of tourists that visit Miami Beach every year. With the tourists and all of the tourist infrastructure like hotels and restaurants, the amount of people at any given time in Miami Beach exceeds the number of people living there by tens of thousands. The property crimes are in particular evident because tourists are often the target of crime. There is considerable opportunity for criminals, such as tourists leaving their bags on the beach to go swimming, or the number of cars and hotel rooms in the area that could be broken into. As well, with more tourists there are more opportunities for robberies, especially late at night. Aggravated assaults are likely a function of the city's night life, which can attract inebriated people and put them in a position to get into fights or to attack others.

The Miami Beach economy lives and dies by the tourist trade, so the key to crime reduction in the city is not to reduce the number of people visiting, but to undertake better measures to keep them safe. A heavy level of enforcement is already witnessed in the city, but there could be room for more in order to discourage criminals for working that area. In addition, public information campaigns can help to keep foreign tourists. While Miami locals and tourists from big U.S. cities all well-versed in the techniques of avoiding victimization, foreign tourists are easy targets. They make mistakes that allow criminals to succeed -- especially with respect to property crime. An information campaign would help to convince foreigners to keep their valuables safe on their visit.

The problem of aggravated assaults is more difficult to address. In a sense, that there are so few murders (4) makes the case that perhaps law enforcement is containing violence since at least people are not getting shot, unlike across the bay in Miami. However, tighter enforcement of nightlife areas would reduce the likelihood of assaults that occur in the course of late night partying. There is no evidence that older white people are inordinately the victims of crime in Miami Beach. Tourists are probably the main targets. This segment does not seem to feel as threatened as older people, but the reason why older people feel more threatened is that they feel more vulnerable. Older people have little defense against crime other than shooting. Even when they were raised in an urban environment, that vulnerability makes crime a greater concern for them. Consider assault -- a younger person might get into a fight and be injured, but that was preventable. Older people have little way to prevent assault and if victimized likely have no culpability.