THWARTING CRIME

The message seems to be getting through to criminals across the nation: Crime doesn't pay. Look at some recent developments:

-- Major cities are reporting significant decreases in major crimes, including homicides. Overall, statistics for major categories of crime are showing their sharpest drops since the FBI began keeping statistics in the 1960s.

What is interesting about the turn in criminal activity is the puzzlement and the lack of a ready explanation from some law-enforcement agencies. Perhaps the simplest answer is that tougher penalties and longer jail sentences are having an impact. And don't forget that capital punishment is being used rather frequently again after a period of social do-gooding when it went out of style for a number of years.

In New York City, the mayor and police officials appropriately have given crime-fighting a high priority. The effort appears to be working, and the streets there are being returned to law-abiding citizens and the millions of tourists. The Big Apple, which once has a reputation as a crime-infested city that was unsafe for everyone, has taken big strides toward the restoration of law and order.

-- In Cape Girardeau, police say there is less evidence of gangs. The police cite arrests and stern sentencing for gang members who are involved in crimes. Gang members seem to understand that flaunting gang colors only draws the attention of police and the rest of the community in a way that makes it easy to find them when they commit crimes. Gang members also seem to understand that prison sentences are a reality, not just a threat.

Much of the credit for the recent decreases in crime have been attributed to community policing. This is the idea that having police officers walking a beat and getting to know the people of a neighborhood will stem crime. This isn't a new idea, of course, but the revival of community policing is probably one of the best things to happen to law enforcement in recent years. Although President Clinton is taking much of the credit for this, his highly touted crime bill that was supposed to add 100,000 police officers has produced only 31,000 additional officers. Many communities have added community policing without benefit of the federal funding because of the strings attached.

Any effort to thwart crime can be expected to take a while. The payoff for getting tough on crime has been coming for several years. If the pressure on criminals is maintained, the crime stats can only improve in coming years.