In 2022, nearly 6,000 institutions reported an 8% rise in campus crime since 2019, and with previous data showing a continued increase in this, what trends should you watch out for in 2025?
Campus crime is becoming one of the biggest safety threats for staff and students, especially as school shootings remain a consistent issue for all schools and campuses.
From the latest report by Campus Safety and Crime, the number of criminal offenses reported has been steadily increasing since 2019, with 2022 hitting the highest record of reports yet.
38,309 criminal offenses were reported in 2022 compared to 31,369 in 2021. This is the largest increase in criminal offenses reported since 2019, but what has actually been happening over recent years?
A Review of Campus Crime Over Recent Years
As stated, campus crime has risen since the Pandemic following the lifting of restrictions that allowed students back to campus. Prior to this, crime reports were steadily decreasing from 2005 to 2012 and remained at similar levels throughout 2013 to 2019.
However since then, trends have changed, and a growth in campus crime has highlighted certain crime types that have shown to be specifically increasing and contributing most to the current statistics.
Over recent years, burglaries, assault, fondling, drug offenses, motor vehicle theft, and sexual offenses have been amongst the most common campus crimes reported.
A rise in gun crime also threatens campuses as the number of US school shootings has doubled over the last two decades. In fact, in 2018 and 2019 alone, more than 100,000 American children attended a school in which a shooting took place.
This data shows the prevalence of campus crime with a continued upward trend that institutions must stay ahead of in order to protect their education campus, staff, and students.
The Consequences of Campus Crime
Overall, campus crime has a significant impact on individuals’ trust, well-being, health, social capabilities, and academic achievements.
Due to the increase in campus crime, specifically the high number of campus shootings and assaults, many staff and students are left fearful of simply carrying out their daily life. This extends further to their families and local communities as the fear for staff and students’ safety is of concern to them also.
In particular, school shootings lead to an increase in student absenteeism and the likelihood of having to repeat a grade in the following two years from it.
Other common crimes such as assault and sexual violence could cause long-term harm to an individual and create mental scars that can be hard to recover from.
Overall, the consequences of campus crime cause a ripple effect on the community, leaving many staff, students, and families asking, what will campuses do to combat this?
Looking Ahead: Key Campus Crime Trends to Watch Out for in 2025
Staying ahead of security risks allows you to protect your staff and students using the correct preventative methods, and be aware of the type of crimes to keep an eye out for.
Using previous data, stories, and our 20-years of experience within security solutions, we formed a list of 5 key campus crimes to be aware of in 2025:
Burglary
In these latest statistics, burglary was the second most common campus crime with 8,456 reported that year. Although this type of crime has decreased since 2019, it has begun to rise once again.
With this rise, institutions should prepare for this steady increase to likely continue in 2025 and remain as one of the central crimes faced by campuses.
Often linked to theft, this crime type can cause destruction to campuses and their educational supplies. As much as the financial implications can be devastating for schools, the knock-on effect to students’ education and safety can be even worse.
Burglary can reduce a school’s functionality and interrupt students’ learning, making it one to watch out for in 2025, not only due to its high prevalence but because of the further issues it can create.
Gun Crime
There were 39 school shootings in 2024 that resulted in injury or death according to an Education Week analysis. This was up from 38 shootings reported the previous year.
Gun crime, specifically school shootings, are expected to remain prevalent throughout 2025, with the first school shooting having already been reported resulting in the death of a 16-year-old girl caused by another student.
Unfortunately, the risk of school shootings has grown tremendously over the years, with no State able to be void of such threat.
The fallout from school shootings can lead to long-term issues for staff and students regarding their mental health and academic experience, creating a distrust in the campus.
Motor Vehicle Theft
Motor vehicle theft accounted for 10,320 of the crimes reported in the latest statistics and was the most common campus crime that year. This is nearly double that reported in the previous year.
This spike could suggest worsening crime rates for motor vehicle theft in 2025, especially with many States having faced or are currently facing economic hardship and struggles, placing higher risk to such crime.
Motor vehicle theft may not seem directly linked to your education campus, however, it can create numerous issues that could impact the functionality and relationship staff and students have with your institution:
- Make travel difficult or not possible for staff to the campus
- Create distrust with the institution and the surrounding area
- Cause tension between students and the campus
- At worst, lead to staff and students leaving their institution
Assault
Assault has shown to be a common campus crime over the last few years, and although there was a drop in 2020, since then it has been steadily increasing again. Due to this, campuses should remain vigilant for this threat throughout 2025 as if it follows the previous trend, this crime type will be on the rise.
The physical and emotional impact of assault on victims can be life-long, potentially leading to them dropping out of education or postponing their studies.
However, an incident of assault on campus can create shockwaves across the student community as individuals will likely fear for their own safety following an attack. It can also create anger and distrust with you as an institution that could lead to further incidents there.
Getting a hold of the situation and managing this accordingly will be vital in maintaining trust with your students and staff alike.
Drug Offenses
Drug offenses have become increasingly common, especially on college campuses. With most young students experiencing independence for the first time and drugs becoming more readily available, it can be an overwhelming issue for campuses to manage.
As many campuses have cracked down on the issue of drugs, dealers have become smarter on campus and are remaining under the radar now that they are aware of this threat.
With new tactics and drugs constantly being adapted, campuses face an uphill battle to manage this ever-expanding issue.
How to Prevent Campus Crime with WCCTV
Being aware of the campus crimes to watch out for this year provides only part of the solution, the next step, in fact the most important task is to set up appropriate security measures to deter, detect, and manage these types of crime presented to them.
We understand the need to act now more than ever regarding campus security, and with installation taking only 20 minutes, our Surveillance Trailers could help you to set up for a successful and safe year ahead.
Additionally, they work as a powerful visual deterrent. Standing 20ft tall with up to 4 cameras attached to it, any criminal will be aware that their actions and behaviours are being monitored on campus.
Our surveillance technology is backed by a team of security professionals who remotely monitor cameras 24/7 for criminal activity. This is particularly beneficial for nighttime where risks are heightened for college students as it ensures support can be provided any time of night and offers a sense of safety to them.
Working as an immediate, proactive crime prevention tool, our fully-managed service offered with all our products help to identify threats and respond accordingly whilst ensuring false alarms avoid creating triggers and wasting time.
Get in touch with one of WCCTV’s security specialists today to find out how we can support your campus security needs today.
