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Oxnard police release crime stats
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More from Other NewsOxnard police today announced a 12.2 percent decrease in serious crimes reported during the first six months of this year, compared to the same period of 2006.
The count includes four types of violent crimes — homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault — and three kinds of property crimes — burglary, auto theft and larceny.
Those seven are known as "Part 1" crimes based on how they are categorized in the FBI's Uniform Crime Report. The U.S. Department of Justice collects the statistics, designed to be comparable, from police departments nationwide.
A total of 2,484 Part 1 crimes were reported in Oxnard between January and June 2007, compared to 2,830 the year before, according to a statement from the Oxnard Police Department.
Violent crimes went up by 8 percent, to 457 reported in the first half of this year, compared to 423 in the first half of last year.
The number of reported rapes increased by 7, to 20, compared to 13 in the first half of last year. Robberies went up by 44, to 259.
Homicides dropped by 1 to 5 and aggravated assaults declined by 16, to 173.
Property crimes fell by nearly 16 percent, to 2,027 from 2,407.
Steep downturns in burglary and larceny accounted for much of the decline this year.
Burglaries fell by 100 to 424, and reported larcenies dropped by 227 to 1339.
Auto thefts went down by 53, to 264.
Oxnard Police Chief John Crombach said the numbers tell a mostly positive story but he counseled residents not to put too much stock in short-term statistics.
Six-month figures fluctuate based on many variables including socioeconomic conditions and who is in jail, he said.
Crombach pointed to a continued drop in Oxnard's crime rate during the last 15 years as an example of success by law enforcement and community groups in the city.
Since the city's crime rate peaked in 1992, the number of crimes per 1,000 residents have decreased in every Part 1 category, according to Oxnard police figures.
The homicide rate is 45 percent lower in 2007 than in 1992. The rates of assaults and burglaries went down by 72 and 69 percent, respectively, according to the city's figures.
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