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Trenton,
NJ - The New Jersey Uniform Crime Report for
the first six months of 2008 showed a 3 percent
decrease in the number of reported violent
crimes compared to the first half of 2007,
but a rising number of non-violent offenses
pushed the total crime index higher by 5 percent.
The
half-year UCR showed an increase in the number
of murders and rapes, but a drop in the number
of reported robberies and aggravated assaults,
compared to the months of January through
June in 2007. Burglaries and thefts increased
7 percent, while the number of motor vehicle
thefts dropped slightly.
The
number of reported incidents of arson dropped,
as did domestic violence reports. However,
the number of reported bias incidents increased.
“This
is the second year in a row that the violent
crime rate has dropped in the first half of
a year,’’ Attorney General Anne
Milgram said. “But it is clear that
the overall rise in crime means law enforcement
must remain ever vigilant in protecting our
state’s neighborhoods and communities.”
The
percentage increase in the total number of
crimes reported from the first half of 2007
compared to the first half of 2008 was highest
in the state’s rural areas, rising by
10 percent. The total number of crimes reported
to police increased by 5 percent in the suburbs
and 4 percent in the state’s urban areas,
according to the UCR. However, overall violent
crimes dropped in the urban areas by approximately
5 percent. The number of murders and rapes
increased in the urban areas, but robberies
and aggravated assaults dropped.
Overall,
crime increased in 14 of the state’s
21 counties, with the highest percentage increase
recorded in Gloucester County, where the number
of reported crimes increased by 19 percent.
The largest drop in crime was reported in
Cape May County, where the total number of
reported incidents decreased by 11 percent.
The
highest numbers of crimes were reported in
Essex (14,383) and Camden (10,020). The fewest
crimes reported were in Hunterdon (624) and
Warren (856).
The
overall statewide Crime Index total for the
first six months of 2008 increased from 102,758
offenses in 2007 to 107,704. (The figure for
the first half of 2006 was 109,983.)
The
violent crime category consists of murder,
rape, robbery and aggravated assault. The
number of murders increased 9 percent from
184 to 201. The number of rapes increased
from 511 to 586, or 15 percent. The number
of robberies decreased from 6,038 to 5,687,
or 6 percent. The number of aggravated assaults
decreased 3 percent, from 7,121 to 6,931.
The
largest percentage increase in reported murders
was recorded in Camden County, where the number
of murders more than doubled, from 16 to 35.
Essex County recorded the biggest decrease
from 72 to 50, or 31 percent.
Non-violent
crime - burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle
theft - increased 6 percent. Burglaries rose
from 17,451 to 18,717 and larcenies rose from
61,353 to 65,512. Motor vehicle thefts dropped
from 10,100 to 10,070.
There
were 32,181 domestic violence offenses reported
by the police from January through June in
2008, which was a 7 percent decrease compared
to the year earlier. Assaults accounted for
43 percent of the reported domestic violence
offenses, according to the UCR. Thirty-nine
percent of reported domestic violence offenses
happened between 6 p.m. and midnight.
The
number of bias incidents rose from 384 to
426, or 11 percent.
The
Uniform Crime Report is prepared by the State
Police Uniform Crime Reporting Unit based
on information provided by municipal, county
and state law enforcement agencies. The full
year report is expected to be released in
late summer or early fall. A copy of the report
for the first six months of 2008 is available
online at www.njsp.org/info/pdf/crimeindex_janjune08.pdf
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