Professional Burglary

Burglary is common. But being a financially successful burglar is another thing. It takes skills and resources along with much more to be a good burglar. The first quality of a "good" burglar is that they must be committed to learning many skills needed to commit lucrative break and enters. Some of these skills include gaining entry into homes and apartments, selecting targets with huge potential payoffs, they must know how to choose items of a high resale value, they must know how to open safes properly without damaging their contents, and they must learn how to use proper equipment such as cutting torches, electric saws, explosives, and metal bars. The second characteristic is the ability to team up with or form an alliance with other criminal members. Knowing trustworthy companions to work with is essential if the obstacles to completing a successful job are to be overcome, such as police, alarms, and secure safes. The third characteristic that the burglar must have inside information. Without knowledge of what awaits them inside, burglars can spend a tremendous amount of time and effort on empty safes and jewellery boxes. The fourth, and final, characteristic of a good burglar is the necessity to cultivate fences or buyers for stolen wares. Once the burglar gains access to people who buy and sell stolen goods, he or she must also learn how to successfully sell these goods for reasonable profit. A possible reason for why burglars tend to victimize commercial property rather than private homes could be that the penalty for breaking and entering a private home is much more severe then breaking and entering a business because a home is seen as a place where one should be safe from all unwanted or outside attention. The maximum punishment for breaking and entering a business is 15 years whereas for a home it is a maximum punishment of life in prison. That in and of itself is reason to victimize commercial rather than private properties. Some burglars tend to target the same home or business more then once because once they know how to get in, what's in, and where everything is, it makes it an easier job than relearning the logistics of a totally different building. Learning the skills of becoming a good and successful burglar can be gleaned by watching. "Example isn't another way to teach, it's the only way." -Albert Einstein. This quote is a good way of explaining how good burglars learn their skills. Following along with another more experienced burglar can teach all that a new burglar needs to know.
Taking a look at this crime story here, it shows a group of both male and female burglars who do this as a career. They are a well organized group and rely on each others companionship to accomplish their robberies. Previous to their criminal careers they were friends in highschool so there is a large amount of trust and reliability that is seen in this criminal "gang". These particular burglars were what's known as star-struck arrivistes. In other words, they steal for an attempt at the "hollywood lifestyle" of money, bling, and designer jeans.
In the episode of Leverage, there were many examples to back up the four characteristics of a good burglar. The auto thieves had a lots of knowledge and skills that they used to efficiently steal cars. They had a well established and well organized group of people that they worked with. They worked alongside of other criminals who were trustworthy. They also had inside information and lots of sources to accomodate their work. On top of that they had good resources for their fences and their buyers. They knew the right people and had professional relationships with them that helped with their work.
Those are just a few examples of how professional criminals opporate and how it relates to Neal Shover's list of qualities of a financially successful burglar.

Auto Theft

Auto theft is not only a problem in Canada, but also a global problem. It is expensive and dangerous for law abiding citizens. On average, one car is stolen per 3.5 minutes in Canada, which is 420 per day, 12,600 per month, and 153,300 per year. Out of these numbers, only 25% of stolen vehicles are recovered even though almost all thefts are reported to the police. That is an overwhelming number of stolen vehicles. Stolen cars and car thieves are dangerous because they have no regard to bystanders or the rules of the road. There are approximately 40 fatalities per year as a direct result of auto theft. There are a number of reasons why auto theft happens. The first, being joyriding, happens when a teenager's desire to drive a car causes him/her to take that vehicle. This is the most common reason for auto theft and in 2001 made up 42% of all auto thefts. Feelings of power, prestige, freedom, and sexual potency are associated with driving or owning an automobile. They do not steal for personal profit or gain but to experience the feeling of being on top and having a sort of authority. The second reason is the need for short-term transportation (similar to joyriding). It occurs when the thief needs to be somewhere and so they steal a car to get themselves there. They do not usually keep it as their own possession but use it as a tool to relocate themselves. The third is long-term transportation occurs when a thief takes a car for their use over a long period of time. They take it with the intention of using it personally for a long time. The fourth is simply for profit. They steal with the hope that they can later re-sell it and get monetary gain from it. Includes the theft of smaller scale items such as batteries, tires, etc. and sell them or use them for their own cars. The fifth is called commission of another crime. Occurs when an individual is commiting a separate crime and takes a vehicle during that other crime, like a getaway car.
Locations for the highest auto crime rates are as follows:

1. Winnepeg, MB      
2. Prince George, B.C.
3. Joliette Regie Intermun., Que 
4. Chilliwack, B.C.
5. Edmonton, AB
6. Surrey, B.C.
7. Kamloops, B.B.
8. Abbotsford, B.C.
9. Saint-Jerome, Que.
10. Maple Ridge, B.C.

According to these numbers, I think it's safe to assume that British Columbia is the most common place that auto theft happens.
The most common cars that are stolen in Canada from 2011 are as follows:

1. 2009 Toyota Venza
2. 1999 Honda Civic SiR
3. 2000 Honda Civic SiR
4. 2006 Ford F350
5. 2002 Cadillac Escalade EXT
6. 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer SS
7. 2007 Ford F350
8. 2001 Pontiac Aztek
9. 1998 Acura Integra
10. 1999 Acura Integra

Preventing the theft of your car is relatively simple and sort of common sense, although it often gets forgotten. First, always roll up windows/sun roof and lock doors. Put the keys in your pocket or your purse immediately after locking up. Do not leave them in the ignition or in your vehicle. Car thefts can happen in a matter of seconds and 20% of auto theft happens with the keys still in the ignition. Keep your vehicle registration and proof of insurance on you instead of in the glove box. Do not leave expensive items like laptops, CDs, or sports equipment in plain view, hide them or put them in the trunk. Park in well lit, public/busy, and open places. Get your car parts etched or marked which might deter theifs from taking and reselling parts of your vehicle. If you park in a private garage, lock both the garage door and your car door.
These are just a few obvious ways to lower the number of auto theft incidents and protect your personal vehicle from theft.

Sexual Assault and Hypermasculinity

Sexual behaviour is often socialised in males. The idea that men and boys are taught aggression is what prompts this view. They are taught to dominate women from a young age and that women are to be dominated. Although it is often subliminal, they are taught that they should be sexually active with as many women as possible and may turn to forcible means to accomplish this. Another idea is that sexually aggressive women may intimidate and "overpower" men causing them to question their manliness and make them feel like they need to prove their dominance. There is a need to be dominant for males, and when that is questioned or jeopardised they may react in a threatening way towards females, which can result in sexual assault. I believe that some men who commit sexual assault are what is known as "hypermasculine". They are those who feel they need to devalue and belittle females in order to bring their own ego up. These types of men are more likely to be sexually aggressive and forceful. Their mindset is that where sexual violence is "manly" and they are supposed to be violent towards women. They are insecure and any insults towards their manliness is taken too seriously and can cause them be easily angered. They brag about sexual conquest and base their manhood on how many times they score. I believe that hypermasculinity is learned from watching other males demonstrate it. Men who are hypermasculine may possibly have a hypermasculine father or father figure. They also may learn it from friends and media. Pornography is a huge way that boys learn to be violent and aggressive towards females. Porn makes it seem normal and right for men to push women around and be sexually violent and forceful with them. Boys who watch porn learn this violent sexual behavior and tend to later act on it in their sexual interactions.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Crime/2012/10/09/20268856.html In this crime story the offender is a 47 year old man arrested for forcible consignment and sexual assault. It is difficult to define the motivation for this individual. There are a few different causes that may have been his motivation. The first one is Male Socialistation; he may have been taught by role models in his life as a child to be sexually aggressive. In this particular case it is a 16 year old boy that was assaulted not a girl. He may have been raped as a child, or sexually assaulted by an older man, and then learned that sexual behaviour and acted on it towards another young boy. This man may have been what is called "hypermasculine." Although it wasn't a female he assaulted, he still may have felt sexually inadequate and used this young boy to prove his manhood. These are just a few of the possible reasons why this man was motivated to assault this young man.

Crime Trends in British Columbia

According to statistics found on statcan.gc.ca police reported "overall" crimes are on the decrease, imparticular the most severe crimes. Violent crimes stay fairly even, although there is a slight decrease in their number. In 2001 there was a peak in violent crimes, and then it began a slow decrease to 2008. Based on the information that most crimes except for possibly violent ones are on the decrease makes me believe that maybe the main cause for these slowly increasing violent crimes is the increase in violence in our media, family life, and school lives. Young people learn violence from those they respect or from influencing sources in their lives. If a young person is constantly bombarded with violence in the tv they watch and the video games they play and if their parents are violent towards them or towards each other than they will learn violence and will become violent towards others. In general, our media- video games, movies, tv, sports, magazines, book- are all becoming more violent. This could be a possible cause for the slow increase in violent crimes in B.C.
Possible reasons for the decrease in overall crimes may be for the sole reason that our generation is aging. People are growing old and there are less young people than there was previous to this time. I believe that because of this there are less crimes overall because a lot of the time criminals are in younger generations. Another reason for the crime decrease could be because we are in a bit of an economical "down" and when that happens people aren't out as much causing trouble and commiting crimes. They are busy working and with their families. These are some possible reasons for the decrease in crimes in British Columbia.

Impacts of crime on the victims of those crimes go much farther than just to the victim. Families, friends, people who hear about it, and those who either watched it or those who worked at the scene of crime are all impacted emotionally and physically. In the case of Harper from Law and Order, she had many negative impacts on her life. Some of those include effects from the physical aspect of her rape. Possible pregnancy, possible STIs, and being beaten are some of the physical effects that she went through. Her boyfriend was also negatively impacted: after the rape she couldn't cope with what had happened and then she broke up with him. The detectives on her case were all impacted by the crime because they were looking for the man who had raped her and had to ask her questions and see her re-live the experience and see her pain again and again. She was effected long term because she was endlessly afraid of people and the dark. She slept with the lights on and her shoes on. She cut her hair, cut off her relationships with those in her life, moved, and covered her door in locks. Her life was turned upside down because of one night.
Here is a story of a 10 year old girl who was repeatedly raped by the same Mountie who days later murdered a police constable. There are two victims in this case, the little girl and the constable. The life of the little girl can and will never be normal. She will forever carry the burden that as a 10 year old child she was raped numerous times. Emotionally she is scarred and will probably never look at a man with full trust and possibly never be able to be in a romantic relationship with one because of the trauma related to men. Physically it had a huge impact on her life. The little girl asked the man to stop because it hurt her, and later told police that it hurt so bad she couldn't walk. His actions caused her bodily harm because of his rape which she will have to deal with and life with for however long it takes for pediatricians to put it right if they even can. She was afraid of this man, who told her not to tell anyone, and was unsure of what to do and whether or not to tell anyone.
In both of the cases described women, both young and older, are sexually harassed and are severely impacted negatively for the rest of their lives. They are the ones who have to live with the consequences of somebody else's transgression.

According to my social structure crime theory, crime happens because of your surroundings and social history. I believe that where you come from and the experiences that you have can and will effect the choices you make later in life. As stated in this crime report, the son of a former police officer admits to murdering his ex-girlfriend. His reason for commit this crime was that it was in self-defence, and he believed that his ex-girlfriend was in a group of serial killers planning on killing him. This reason appears to show some traits of mental illness or disillusionment. But I believe is more to it than just a mental state.
The prosecuted is the son of a man who upheld the law everyday as a profession. His life was driven and ruled by laws and regulations and that was possibly all that he taught his son at home. Everyday the young man was probably told story after story of crimes that his father worked on. This young man was no amateur to knowledge on criminal ideas and how the criminal mind works. In my opinion his growing up was constantly bombarded by crimes from outside of his home brought in by his father who worked with them all day. It is impossible to completely separate the home and the workplace.
There is also no way to tell if the household environment was exceptional. There could have been divorce and abuse and death that also may have effected the young man negatively to the point of murder. After all that happened in his family and then breaking up with his girlfriend who he may have been with for a long time possibly caused enough stress and anger to make him commit a crime as serious as murder.