MANY REASONS FOR CRIME'S DECLINE

There's no unanimity about why crime is on the decline, but everyone
wants to take credit.

The other day Attorney General Janet Reno attributed the welcome news
to the Clinton administration's anti-crime efforts. Crime fell
nationwide in 1998 for a record seventh straight year. Since crime is
overwhelmingly a local responsibility, this is a somewhat dubious
claim. But federal law enforcement cer tainly deserves some of the
praise, although there are other factors.

According to FBI figures released Sunday, last year showed a 7 percent
decrease from the number of violent and property offenses reported in
1997. Throughout all regions of the country, in cities and rural areas
alike, fewer Americans were robbed, burglarized, assaulted, raped or
murdered.

Experts cited a variety of reasons for the downturn, including a
booming economy and declining unemployment, greater attention to
community-based policing, far more prison beds and tougher sentencing
in some areas. But they stressed, correctly, that no one factor can
explain the downward trend.

Still, do Americans really feel any safer? A Gallup survey in October
found that 56 per cent of those polled believed there was more crime
in the United States than five years earlier. Furthermore, people
aren't leaving their homes and car doors unlocked or walking alone
after dark in any greater numbers. There are still too many robberies,
sexual assaults, burglaries and auto thefts - not to mention the
abundance of drugs still on the street - for us to be
celebrating.

Despite the decline, there will still be argu ments from those
favoring ``prevention'' programs to fight crime and others who feel we
need tougher sentencing guidelines and a scaling up of prison
capacity. Both sides have a point. Yes, we should invest more in drug
treatment and employment education, the standard wish list of the
prevention side. But any police or probation officer will tell you
there are many thugs out there who simply can't resist criminal
activity, and there must be somewhere to put them - someplace away
from society. There is no other alternative.

Obviously there are many factors behind the drop in crime. Let us hope
the trend will continue at an accelerated pace. But we still have a
long way to go before crime is satisfactorily minimized.