Crime And Police In Usa

We all have the picture in our heads of American crime, which we see on our TV and cinema screens, but this is far from the reality encountered by most people visiting the USA.

The type of crime that could affect us is usually petty and could happen anywhere - in your hometown as well as while travelling. Governors and Mayors in various states and cities are aware of the impact this has on the tourist industry and work hard with their police forces to eradicate it. Mayor Bloomberg famously introduced a zero tolerance policy in New York with spectacular results and now it is reasonably safe to walk in the streets and parks of the city.

Losing your valuables when you are on a trip could spoil the rest of your holiday, so be sensible and take some basic precautions to protect yourself:

When travelling in cities be aware of which areas could be dangerous and avoid them.
Keep your valuables out of sight especially in your car.
Don’t keep all your cash and credit cards together - split them up.
Have photocopies of your passport and other important documentation and keep these in a safe place.

Policing in the USA

The USA has a two tier policing system; federal and local. The federal system has the FBI among other agencies that deal with large-scale crime nationally and internationally and normal visitors to the USA would be unlikely to ever come into contact with these agencies.

Local policing is usually at a municipal or county level and forces can vary in size from a Town Marshall to a large police force such as the 40,000 men and women that make up the New York police force.

Should you be unfortunate enough to be the victim of a petty crime, the emergency number to call in the USA is 911. This number will also access the ambulance and fire service if you need them.