the.com/crime wave

means A perceived surge in criminal activity, often reported in a short burst, that may or may not reflect any real statistical increase in crime.

from A journalism coinage from the early 1900s American press, when newspapers began describing clusters of crimes as rising and falling like ocean swells — a 'wave' of robberies, a 'wave' of violence. The metaphor caught on because it suggested crime as a natural, almost weather-like force sweeping through a city, rather than a handful of unrelated incidents editors had simply decided to run together on the front page.