PORTLAND, Maine - More than 90 percent of Mainers believe the state is a safe place. But, as a new study shows, that assessment is affected by becoming a victim of crime.
"You can see that respondents who are victims of a violent crime - and there were 37 of those - were less likely to feel safe that those who were not," says Robyn Dumont, a research analyst with the Muskie School of Public Service. "That's a difference of about 25 percentage points. Likewise, those who are victims of property crime are less likely to feel safe - a difference of about 15 percentage points."
In a discussion that followed, South Portland Police Chief Edward Googins said he was disturbed by the percentage of crime victims who say they didn't report their crimes to authorities. The survey found only a fifth of crime victims had reported their crimes to police.
The survey also found a rise in the instance of identity crimes. About a third of people who were contacted said they were victims of things like data breaches, or having their credit cards used without their permission
