The number of crimes reported in Boston was down 8 percent in 2011, a decrease in Police Commissioner Edward f. Davis III with the hard work and commitment by the city to keep the same number of police on the road through the economic downturn.
Reports of murder, robbery, and theft of vehicle larcenies all declined in the last 12 months. The biggest risk is aggravated assault, which came down by more than 16 percent. Davis said he was “very happy” with the risk in crime which is reflected in the statistics released today and he credited Mayor Thomas m. Menino’s attempt to keep police staff.
“We’re one of the only cities in the nation that has maintained the level of Policing that we had five years ago,” Davis said, adding that the crime also declined because of “our relationship with the community, working closely with environmental groups, and focuses on the place where the most likely to commit crimes.”
Rape is a crime only large categories that are on the rise, spiking by almost 12 per cent. The rise was driven primarily by the number of reported in police districts covering North Dorchester, Mattapan and where the number almost doubled to 36 of 19 years. The rape was reported to have also risen sharply in South Boston, surging to 13 last year than in 2010.
But an increase in reported rapes does not mean that sexual violence is increasing, according to Davis and to rape intervention experts. Rape is one of the most underreported crimes because approximately 80 percent of the victims were attacked by someone they know.