It’s time for New Bedford to learn the difference between snitching and reporting crime

One of the biggest contributors of crime in New Bedford is the ‘no snitching’ attitude that dominates the high crime areas of the city. Look I get it; if you are in a gang or the mob, and one of your crew gets arrested and sings like a songbird for a lesser sentence, he/she is a snitch. Breaking the law and then turning in your friends for a lesser sentence is cowardly. Snitches get stitches. 

Now for the rest of us NOT in a gang or mob. Fearing retaliation is a justifiable reason not to to report crime, but a misunderstanding of what snitching is or isn’t, is a bigger problem. 

Let’s break down the misconception of snitching.

It’s not snitching to report crime. If someone is breaking into your neighbor’s home or stealing a car on your street, it is NOT snitching to call the police. If you want to live on a street where people respect each other and their property, reporting crime is a necessity. Let crime go unreported and it will just be a matter of time before you are the victim. 

The New Bedford police report that crime in New Bedford is down 10% for a second year in a row. Overall, crime may be down in the city, but not in the bad neighborhoods. Read through the police logs and the same streets come up almost daily; sometimes the same addresses. Clearly, the landlords don’t care who they rent to, but that doesn’t mean you should allow crime to continue in your neighborhood. 

It’s time for New Bedford residents to take back the city from the criminals house by house and street by street. Ignoring crime because it’s “none of your business” allows crime to grow. Report crime when you see it and it will eventually go away. 

Crime in New Bedford can be reported to the New Bedford police at tips@newbedfordpd.com or anonymously at 508-992-7463.