The ruling orthodoxy on socio-economics is that difficult times drive a rise in crime, but maybe as a sign of how bad things may have become, at least one crime is decreasing: car theft.
In Baltimore, the number of cars stolen went from 6,662 in 2006 to just over 5,100 last year, and through Jan. 10, car theft dropped 35 percent this year, compared with the same period in 2008.
According to the Baltimore Sun , one reason is improved security in later model cars, but the other driving factor is demand: like the rest of the car industry, people aren’t buying cars, and that includes stolen ones.
“If no one can buy a car, no one can buy a car,” Baltimore County Police Sgt. Robert Jagoe told the paper “if you can’t afford to buy a Corvette off the lot, you can’t afford to buy one from a criminal. With no place to sell their goods, thieves have stopped stealing as many cars.”
See, there is a positive side to a recession.
