Study: Most in Maine feel safe at home One-third reportedly crime victims in 2006

Mainers are more likely to be the victims of property crimes, identity theft or stalking than crimes of violence, a University of Southern Maine survey suggests.

The vast majority of Mainers – 95 percent – said they feel safe in their homes and neighborhoods, the study found.

Some 84 percent of those surveyed said they never or almost never fear being the victim of a violent crime.

The study, conducted by the Muskie School of Public Policy at USM, is the first in the state to focus on the public’s perceptions about crime rather than on just police statistics, which include only reported crimes.

The new study included victims who had not reported crimes.

Some 800 adults were surveyed by telephone for the study between August and December 2006. A report on the results was released late last week by the Maine Statistical Analysis Center.

Overall, a third reported that they had been victims of a crime in the previous year.

“This survey provides a much clearer picture of crime in Maine by getting the perspective of the victims themselves,” said the author, Mark Rubin, who is a research analyst at the Muskie School.

In a news release, Rubin said the information “teaches us more about the nature and extent of such serious, and often unreported offenses as stalking, identity theft and rape.”

The data are expected to be used as a baseline for similar surveys, Rubin said Monday.

About 15 percent reported being victims of theft, burglary or other property crime. Nearly 12 percent reported being the recipient of unwanted behavior, which could include stalking. More than 10 percent said they had been victims of identity theft, according to the report.

Nearly 5 percent said they had been victims of violent crimes and more than 8 percent reported receiving threats of violence during the previous 12 months.

Respondents gave high marks to local law enforcement, with 66 percent reporting that police performance in their communities was good or very good. Despite that, only 27 percent of identity theft victims reported the incident to police.

Of those who reported they had been crime victims and reported the crime to authorities, just 26 percent said they were informed of their rights as victims, which includes having access to information about the alleged perpetrators. About half the victims of violent crimes did not report it to police.

Maine residents who are married or living with a partner, are over age 55, earn more than $50,000 and live in communities with a population of fewer than 10,000 are less likely to be victims of a crime.

About 40 percent of crime victims were single, divorced or widowed compared with a 27 percent rate for those who are partnered.

Thirty-eight percent of those surveyed ages 18 to 54 were crime victims compared with 22 percent over 55. The overall victimization rate of residents in larger population centers was 39 percent compared to about 30 percent in more rural areas.