Crime stats differ on national, local levels

Violent crime is on the rise nationwide for the first time in three years, but local numbers show more mixed results.

Last week, when the FBI issued its final report on crime for 2005 it showed a 2.3 percent increase nationwide of violent crime.

Despite the rise from 2004 to 2005, violent crime, which includes murder, rape, robbery and assault, has decreased nationwide 3.4 percent since 2001. A 17.6 percent dip was shown in violent crime since 1996. The only violent crime statistic to fall from 2004 to 2005 was forcible rape, which dropped 1.2 percent throughout the nation.

Cape Girardeau County had an opposite trend with 113 violent crimes in 2004 dropping to 76 in 2005. Likewise, Scott County also dropped from 37 violent crimes in 2004 to 16 in 2005.

Cape Girardeau city remained relatively unchanged with 186 to 187 incidents from 2004 to 2005.

Contrary to most of the local numbers, statewide figures showed an increase from 28,226 incidents of violent crime in 2004, to 30,477 the following the year, for an 8 percent increase.

And although property crimes, which include burglary and theft, dropped nationwide 1.5 percent, local numbers showed a slight increase.

The number of Cape Girardeau County incidents went up to 215 in 2005 from 211 in 2004. Scott County also showed an increase from 123 in 2004 to 133 last year.

Similarly, those numbers mirrored that of statewide, which showed a 1.4 percent increase in property crimes between 2004 and 2005: 224,629 to 227,809.

By contrast, the city of Cape Girardeau showed a dip in property crimes, dropping to 2,145 in 2005 from 2,245 the previous year.

According to the FBI, a violent crime occurs every 22.7 seconds and a property crime every 3.1 seconds in the United States.

kmorrison@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127

By the numbers:

Nationwide

* Violent crime up 2.3 percent from 2004.

* Property crime down 1.5 percent from 2004.

Missouri

* Violent crime up 8 percent from 2004.

* Property crime up 1.4 percent from 2004

Source: FBI.