Poverty is one of the major cause of crime. Crime varies over time and space. The intensity, that is the highs and lows, can be linked through the differences in wealth.
There is a clear link between poverty level and crime as crime ranks higher in impoverished area. These areas also tend to have higher number of uneducated adults and kids that nurture unemployment and more avenues for crime.
However different types of poverty spawn different types of crimes, so it is not a single-cure problem. These effects rely on the type of community and type of environment.
It has been proven that unemployment is a bigger factor for specific types of crimes than income inequality is. Low income tends to spur burglary and theft crimes but reduce the violent nature of those crimes; desperation crimes if you may.