Most of us associate the holidays with happiness, family, and love. While many of us focus on the good things during the holiday season, police departments throughout the United States will quickly tell you that crime doesn’t stop during the holidays.
What members of law enforcement have noticed is that certain types of crimes seem to take place during the Christmas season.
DUI
Police expect that most of the arrests they make during the holidays will be related to DUIs. More people make the bad decision to drive after they have been drinking during the holidays than most other times of the year. There are several reasons this happens including:
- People drink more than they realize during holiday parties
- Some people realize how lonely they are during the holidays and drink to make themselves feel a little better
- Teens have more time on their hands after school lets out for the holidays, giving them more time to party and drink
Before you go out to a holiday party or to a bar to meet up with friends, take time to figure out how you’ll get home. If there is even a chance that you’ll have a few drinks, it’s in your best interest to arrange things so that you’re not even tempted to drive.
Shoplifting
Shoplifting crimes happen all year long, but they seem to be especially common during the holidays. Part of this could be attributed to the fact that there are more shoppers in the store. It could be that because employees are so busy during the holiday season, people who wouldn’t normally shoplift spot an opportunity and decide to take advantage of it. Or it could be that some people would like to purchase a nice gift for their loved ones but don’t have the money and are unable to resist the impulse to take the items that have caught their eye.
Fraud and Scams
The sad reality is that the holidays bring about more fraud and scam crimes than other times of the year. One of the reasons fraud and scam crimes are so prevalent during the holiday season could stem from the fact that people are busy, so they don’t pay as much attention to what is being said as they normally would. Loneliness, which is often felt more during the holidays, could be another reason so many people fall victim to fraud and other types of scams during the holidays.
While you want to enjoy the current holiday season, you also have to be vigilant and take steps to protect yourself against crime this holiday season.