The Nation : 1 of 3 in Robberies Injured

Robbers targeted nearly 14.7 million Americans from 1973 through 1984, injuring one in every three of their victims, a federal report concluded. The survey by the Bureau of Justice Statistics says that robbers inflict serious injuries--such as rape, knife or gunshot wounds, broken bones and unconsciousness--on one in 12 victims. Robbers displayed weapons in nearly half of all robberies and one in five brandished a gun. The bureau’s National Crime Survey showed that the average loss from a completed robbery was $447 and most of the losses were never recovered. The survey also found that robbery rates declined by 15% from 1973 to 1984.