In PA, Crime Is Down But a Sense of Safety Is Lost

Many parts of the country have experienced a decrease in crime, especially violent crime, according to FBI crime statistics. This is great news for communities as less people are being victimized.

These national crime reductions are reflective to what many municipalities are experiencing. Bensalem Township is no different. A suburban town located in southeastern Pennsylvania, it borders the northeast section of Philadelphia, and has often had to deal with rising crime rates. However, over the past two years, Part 1 crimes (the most serious crimes) are down 38%, with robberies and burglaries down over 50% each. These are fantastic trends and they are a credit to the men and women who serve as police officers. In addition, with the advances in technology, Bensalem has also experienced a 10% increase in the clearance of all Part 1 crimes, clearing 49% of all serious crimes reported in 2025.

With crime on the decline, why do so many people feel less safe in their community? There isn’t a simple answer to this question, but there are many factors that contribute to the growing sense of fear that people have.

First and foremost, we are more informed today then we have ever been due to the digital advances over the past decade. A violent crime can occur across the country from where someone lives and within minutes it could be a viral video that ends up a global news story. Though the speed of information sharing is certainly positive, the instant and widespread sharing of violent crimes on social media platforms can contribute to a reduced sense of safety. When you see violent crimes or acts committed, even if it’s thousands of miles away, it can have an influence on your perception of safety. This is comparable to the “psychological shark attack effect” where people are more fearful of a shark attack when one is publicized, when in reality their risk of suffering an actual attack remains extremely low.

This is the more general view of why some may feel less safe, but when you look at crime data specifically, there are criminal trends that contribute to the perception, and in some cases, the reality, of being less safe.

Bensalem Township has experienced a few disturbing criminal trends that support this notion. One of those trends is fleeing from police. There has been a 450% increase in motorists who have fled from officers on traffic stops in the past four years in Bensalem. Only 17 suspects fled in a vehicle when police attempted to stop them in 2021, compared to a staggering high of 94 in 2024. The lawless act of fleeing from a police officer is a clear signal that a suspect has no regard for the law, but more concerning is the fact that it places everyone on the road in extreme danger. In fact, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), fatal crashes involving police pursuits kill more than one person every day in the United States.

Another constant threat is the number of illegal guns seized on traffic stops in Bensalem and other communities. In many cases, these guns are possessed by convicted felons, who are prohibited from possessing a gun by the courts. Yet, these criminals still make the conscious decision to carry a gun, without regard to the ramifications of being caught. There is no doubt that this group of people are much more inclined to commit a crime with a gun if they are not stopped and properly prosecuted.

In fact, last year, Bensalem Police were forced to use deadly force on two separate occasions, each which started with a non-compliant motorist and ended when they pointed a gun at officers. Both suspects were convicted felons, attempted to flee from police, refused police commands, and illegally possessed a gun. This type of brazen criminal behavior is becoming too common and directly contributes to an environment that is less safe for all. Police departments need to continue their efforts to seize illegal guns and prosecute the felons who possess them, which certainly reduces future violent crimes from being committed.

These acts of lawlessness are behaviors committed by a small percentage of the population that has no regard for the rule of law or the welfare of our citizens. However, as these trends become more prevalent, our sense of safety may diminish, even if traditional crime is down.

William McVey is the Director of Public Safety for Bensalem Township and the past President of the Chiefs of Police Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania. He has 27 years of police experience and is a graduate of Northwestern University Center for Public Safety’s School of Police and Command and the Police Executive Research Forum’s Senior Management Institute for Police. He is currently enrolled in the Executive Leaders Program through the Center for Homeland Defense and Security at the Navy Postgraduate School.