Prince George’s County experienced a dip in crime for the first quarter of 2006 compared to the same time last year, according to new crime statistics released by the county police department.
The 3 percent drop in violent crime bucks a trend of rising violent crime rates over the last few years, according to an analysis by the county’s Office of Audits and Investigations. Violent crimes include murder, rape, assault and carjacking.
Every major category of crime decreased for the first quarter, with the exception of assaults, which rose 13 percent to 1,199, the data revealed. Homicides, which reached a record high last year, dipped 38 percent for the first quarter to 25, police said.
“Everything happens in phases, and these results are the second phase for us. We are seeing results of groundwork we laid last year with tactical deployment, a focus on policing fundamentals and productivity, building the size of our force and strengthening our relationship with the community,” said Police Chief Melvin High.
The county significantly boosted its police force last year up to 1,346 officers from 1,292, according to the Audits and Investigations data. The force had hovered around the same number of officers since 2003.
1st quarter police stats
» Auto theft: Down 18 percent from the same time last year
» Homicide closure rate: 84 percent versus 70 percent for the same time last year
» Robbery closure rate: 43 percent versus 10 percent for the same time last year
