A funny report from Japan: Apparently, in the recent years, crimes committed by the elderly have risen sharply. Crimes perpetrated by the elderly now account for over 10% of Japan’s annual crime. Mind you that Japan maintains a suprisingly low crime-rate but crimes by the 65 and up age group continues to rise.
Some attribute the spike to longer life spans and such. A majority of elderly crimes involve theft, most likely the stealing of produce from the grocery store. The second most prolific crime is murder, a much more serious matter. Not accounted for though were Rascal scooter thefts, simply puzzling.
2 Responses to “Not so Smooth Criminals”
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By Randall Fitzgerald on January 31, 2006 at 12:31 am
You know… I wonder if a crotchety old man could get away with the “It’s me.” scam.
I guess the biggest eyebrow raising bit here is… I dunno… why would an old person even need to commit a crime? Maybe they’re just bored because society in Japan is moving on without them and they want attention.
By Anders Bogsnes on January 31, 2006 at 5:19 am
Perhaps they’re just bored? I know that a lot of older people in Scandinavia sometimes get extremely bored, and will do just about anything to relieve it. Though I can’t see the elderly crime rate being particularly high here :-)