According to the 2000 Unified Crime Report(UCR) in Philadelphia, theft consists of the largest ratio of crime in the area of Northeast Philadelphia (the 8th Police district to be specific). The 8th district accounts for 2,264 of the 46,952 thefts in Philadelphia, or approximately 4.9% of the total thefts. .
Because of the fact that the UCR only contains crime reports from an arrest and prosecution, the number of thefts actually would be far greater because crimes of theft can go unnoticed and is rare to arrest. The UCR defines theft as "The unlawful taking of property from another without the use of force against the person.".
The 8th district is primarily residential, but contains many industrial parks, shopping centers and public institutions. There are 10 shopping centers and 33 educational facilities alone in this district. While impossible to prove the exact reason as to why theft occurs higher than other areas of the city, the amount of shopping centers and schools contributes to a large percentage of the overall theft. Called occasional criminals these are usually school aged children who spontaneously commit theft without any intent to become a career criminal. These acts are usually unplanned, committed without the skill and knowledge to commit theft, and because of this will become haphazard, increasing the likeliness to become caught. Often brought on from the pressure of fellow peers, a child or teenager will commit these crimes only once or very few times. With the area having an abundance of schools with students enrolled in them, and shopping centers, there become more opportunities for theft to occur. .
While occasional criminals amount to a large amount of the number of crimes, the total loss of property value is lower. The largest amount of value loss is the result of professional criminals, who make a significant portion of their annual income from committing thefts.
