The cover story from The Economist of 18 July 2013 reports some amazing statistics on the fall in crime rates:
"Every now and again a startling global trend emerges. Thus it is with crime, which has plunged in the rich world over the past two decades. Last year there were just 69 armed robberies of banks, building societies and post offices in England and Wales, compared with 500 a year in the 1990s. In 1990 some 147,000 cars were stolen in New York: last year fewer than 10,000 were ... we argue that the main reason is simply fear of being caught (especially thanks to new technology) rather than harsh sentences, which look increasingly counterproductive."
The Economist, 18 July 2013