Recently, around midnight, two young men were trying to steal some money from my car. Unknowingly, they tripped the car alarm and I woke up as soon as it went off since my bedroom is very close to the driveway. They stole my registration and insurance card. I immediately called Middle Township Police. The police were very kind and helpful, and I’d like to thank them.

 This is one example of many of increasing terror/ criminal activities in New Jersey, which is an issue we need to address without delay. We have to make sure we are taking appropriate action to deter crimes throughout New Jersey. According to a report on NJ.com, the 2015 FBI data showed there were 363 murders in New Jersey – up from 349 the previous year. The slight bump increased the rate to 4.1 murders per 100,000 residents. Sexual assault, murder, manslaughter, rape, and robbery are also increasing. 

Last month, in some counties, disputes between police and criminals resulted in shootings. Crime seems to be rising steadily and violently at an accelerating rate in New Jersey’s major counties. The above-mentioned issues might affect tourism, which in turn will affect New Jersey’s economy as a whole. New Jersey is a beautiful state but recently, higher taxes, limited job opportunities, crimes and poorly paid workers are adding to poverty, and need to be addressed properly. 

I think this has and will hinder the growth of New Jersey’s economy and the rise of crime now and in the future. The executive director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Yury Fedotov, told the Convention in Vienna, the 2030 agenda for sustainable development acknowledged that confronting crime and promoting the rule of law were essential to the achievement of the sustainable development goals. World Health Organization said, “We need to integrate violence prevention into social and educational policies, and thereby promote social equality.” 

There is a variety of intervention programs we need to implement that may help people, especially young people, stop committing crimes. If our goal is to reduce crimes then programs related to those should be located in local areas. We also need a systematic approach to support schools to activate their involvement against crime activities to develop these kinds of programs that will demonstrate positive results. 

We also need to teach crime resolution skills to our small children. In my opinion, the key to making New Jersey less dangerous is to reduce the time and effort that makes it so expensive to arrest and convict the guilty people, costing more for New Jersey as a whole. I think creating more job opportunities will reduce the crime. It is a basic human right to live crime free and from being a victim of one. 

However, many countries around the globe failed to identify the problems and have no program against it that has left many people with no choice but to become a victim of crime. There is an urgent need for crime protection and human rights monitoring.