Residents of Maple Valley and Covington can breathe a bit easier knowing that despite some highly publicized crimes in the past year, the number of burglaries and robberies are decreasing, according to statistics provided by King County Sheriff’s Office.

In Maple Valley, which has a population of about 22,000, the rate of robberies was .31 per 1,000 residents in 2010, with only 7 robberies reported.

Covington, a city with a population of about 17,000, had 21 robberies, a rate of 1.19.

In comparison, Kenmore, a city in north King County with 20,600 residents, a population similar in size to Maple Valley and Covington, had a rate of robbery of .1 per 1,000 residents.

Maple Valley and Covington are also contract cities.

A contract city provides municipal services by contract with another unit of government, public agency or private organizations.

In this case, the police force is contracted out to the King County Sheriff’s Office.

A robbery is committed when theft occurs through force or threat of force against the victim. A burglary is a theft when the victim is not present.

Maple Valley Detective Jason Stanley explained there are a variety of reasons for the low robbery and burglary rate.

“Primarily…you get the right people in jail,” he said. “That usually helps. Additionally, the citizens of Maple Valley are quick to call the police when they see things out of place or suspicious people in their neighborhood.”

Cities with gangs or high drug activity also tend to have a higher rate of robberies.

“There’s always a link between drug use and property crimes and theft,” Stanley said. “A lot of these people can’t hold jobs because of their drug use.”

Stanley stated the recent robberies of convenience stores in Maple Valley and Covington, in which armed men entered and stole cash and cigarettes, are becoming rare.

With the installation of security cameras, the rising use of debit cards as an alternative to cash and better cooperation between law enforcement agencies, the likelihood for success has become less and less.

In Maple Valley, both commercial and residential burglaries dropped, commercial from 45 to 31, and residential from 88 to 65.

So far this year, there have been 69 total burglaries reported, 39 residential, and 24 commercial, according to Detective Jeff Johnson.

Covington saw a rise in commercial burglary, 31 to 49, but a decrease in residential burglary from 103 to 90 in 2010.

Stanley emphasized how citizen cooperation and participation has not only led to robbers and burglars getting caught, but prevention as well.

“Really, with the amount of attention Maple Valley citizens pay, we’ve been catching a few burglars in the act,” he said. “It usually works out well for us.”

There are a variety of effective methods to prevent a residential burglary or robbery. The most important thing is to understand how a criminal behaves and plan accordingly.

Usually, Stanley explained, a robber and a burglar have very different motives and patterns of behavior.

“Your typical residential burglary is going to be a crime of opportunity,” he said. “Burglars are cowards. They don’t want confrontation. They want to be as invisible as possible. There’s a misconception that burglaries occur at night.”

A robber, on the other hand, is less arbitrary and selects his victims specifically.

“Robbers are looking at specific targets and specific people,” Stanley said.

He also stated people tend to have the wrong impression of how to best protect their home. The concept of a “fortress,” a house surrounded by bushes and out of sight from the road, is actually less safe.

While having dead bolt locks on the doors helps, visual appearances can have a strong influence on a burglar’s decision as to what house he is comfortable entering.

“The things you can do is to increase the visibility into your house,” Stanley advised. “When you’re away from home, leave the blinds open, so the neighbors may be able to see into the windows.”

Good relations with the neighbors will give them better knowledge about a family’s day to day patterns, so when something appears out of the ordinary, they will be able to notice it.

Another useful item is a security system.

Even if it is not affordable, Stanley recommended purchasing signs to place in the front and back of the home.

“A lot you’re looking to do is get the burglar to say ‘I can burglarize another house.’ They’ll skip it if the chance of getting caught or noticed exists,” he said.

For Maple Valley residents, there is also the Maple Valley police vacation house check service.

When time allows, officers or volunteers will drive by a residence to keep an eye out for illegal activity while the home owners are out of town.