The Crime Report-
When a crime is committed or an arrest is made in N . C ., files are kept. Names, ages, location, whether weapons were used, and what style of crime it was are a few particulars you may observe in these reports. The three primary . Within the heading of violent crimes, we can see murder, aggravated assault, rape, and robbery. The section of property crime includes larceny, burglary, and auto theft. The section of other crimes can include anything from vandalism to arson. . This report goes into great detail on the crimes, including, for example, murder weapons and the victim’s relationship to their killer.
In 2017, there were 388,932 arrests made across NC, with the highest number of arrests coming in the category of simple assault. This number was down from the 2016 levels of over 390,000.
Violent Crime-
Violent crimes require personal conflict between offender and target. In the four main kinds of violent crime, both murder and rape decreased in recorded offenses, while thievery and aggravated assault marginally increased. Violent crime on the whole saw a rise between 2016 and 2017, moving from 36,914 to 37,867. This represents the fourth successive increase in a row. We can still see a drop from the last decade peaks of above 42,000 in 2008, but stats are not even close to the 32,000 lows of 2014. At its highest since 2009, the rate per 100,000 occupants currently sits on 383.7. This increased from 375 the year before. Despite this high, arrests dropped from 19,058 to 18,368 between 2016 and 2017.
Murder-
Murder statistics fell from 828 to 751 between 2016 and 2017 in N . C .. There was also a 7.5% decline in rate of murder per 100,000 occupants. Over the last ten years, there has been a substantial increase in reported murders. The 637 murders in 2017 is relatively high in comparison to the lows of 467 in 2010. Since then we’ve seen a general climb throughout the years, breaking the 500 mark in 2014, and the 600 mark in 2016 and 2017. There was a 21% rise in juvenile murder arrests in 2017. 318 murder cases involved the use of a hand gun, the most prevalent weapon used in 2017. The most frequent relationship between killer and victim in 2017 was ‘acquaintaince’, followed by girlfriend.
Rape-
There were 401 total arrests in relation to rape in 2017, down from the 456 cases in the previous year which represents a decrease of 2.6%. Despite the arrest figures being approximately 400, the crime index lists 2,035 counts of rape in 2017. While there has been an overall gradual decrease from the figures of over 2,200 back in 2008 and 2009, this still shows an rise from the 1,741 in 2014. The rate per 100,000 inhabitants also declined significantly from 21.2 in 2016 to 20.6 in 2017, and even more so from 2008 values of 25.2. Stats are still above the 2014 lows of 18.1. Juvenile rape arrests were up by 14% between 2016 and 2017, with over 18 arrests down 14%. Most rape offences were carried out without the use of a weapon.
Robbery-
Reported robberies were on the rise, moving from 9,432 in 2016 to 9,453 in 2017. The rate of robbery per 100,000 inhabitants remained at 95.8 across both years. Both the rate per 100,000 occupants and the overall reported robbery stats were at their highest in recent years. Robbery arrests figures dropped from 4,197 in 2016 to 3,867 in 2017. Juvenile and adult arrest stats were down 10% and 7% respectively from 2016 values. Over 5,000 robbery cases in 2017 involved the use of a weapon of some kind. Residences and highways represented the most used specific robbery destinations, with 2,565 and 1,874 cases respectively.
Aggravated Assault-
Aggrevated assault covers the attempt to knowingly or carelessly cause damage to another human being. The overall reported aggravated assault crimes, as well as the rate per 100,000 inhabitants were both up in 2017. Reported cases inflated from 24,712 in 2016 to 25,742 in 2017. This marks four years of successive rises in aggravated assault cases. The rate per 100,000 people was up from 251.1 to 260.8 between 2016 and 2017, below the decade high of 286.1 in 2008, but below the 2013 lows of 220.1. Arrests were down to 13,349 in 2017, from 13,577 in the previous year. Again, this decrease in arrests but rise in the number of offences implies either repeat offenders or unsolved crimes, much like the robbery results. Juvenile arrests moved from 673 to 742 over the last year, representing a 10% increase. Arrests numbers for adults decreased by 2% between 2016 and 2017. .
Property Crime-
Criminal arrests relating to property dropped between 2016 and 2017 from 61,861 to 57,371. There was a slight boost in auto theft, but this would have been significantly outweighed by the sizeable drops in burglary and larceny. Overall property crime statistics fell by over 10,000 between 2016 and 2017. The 2017 figure is actually the lowest in the North Carolina Crime Index, dating all the way back to over 360,000 in 2008. The rate of crime per 100,000 habitants is also at its lowest in ten years, currently sitting at 2,677.8.
Burglary-
Crimes relating to burglaries decreased from 71,768 to 66,467 between 2016 and 2017. The rate per 100,000 residents also decreased during this time, dropping from 729.1 to 673.5. These are the lowest figures since 2008, and by some margin. 2017 values are actually almost half those of 2008. Arrests were on the decline too, as numbers declined from 12,958 in 2016 to 12,415 in 2017. There was a 2% drop in juvenile arrests, and a 5% drop in over 18 arrests for burglaries.
Larceny-
Larceny, in its simplest definition, is the theft of personal property. There was a significant drop in larceny related arrests in 2017, with figures hitting 42,325 in comparison to the 47,443 of 2016. This came with it a decrease of 11% and 9% in juvenile and over 18 arrests respectively. Larceny crimes in general were also down during this time, dropping from 187,502 to 181,951. We also saw a fall in larceny per 100,000 inhabitants, declining from just over 1900 to 1843.7. These are the lowest larceny crime figures documented in the N . C . crime index, dating back to 2008.
Automobile Theft-
MV thefts were on the rise in 2017, moving from 15,037 in 2016 to 15,856. The rate of crime per 100,000 inhabitants moved from 152.8 in 2016 to 160.7 in 2017. These are the highest numbers in both crimes reported and rate since 2012. Arrests for motor vehicle theft increased from 1,460 in 2016 to 1,721 in 2017. The report also shows an increase in juvenile and adult arrests of 13% and 19% respectively. The vast majority of stolen vehicles were automobiles, with trucks and buses being the next most popular target.
Arson-
The term arson refers to the planned setting fire of property. Arson crimes escalated slightly from 1,457 in 2016 to 1,490 in 2017. The rate per 100,000 residents also inflated from 14.8 in 2016 to 15.1 in 2017. Despite the minor boost in reported crimes and rate, both statistics are still well below the 2008 statistics of 2,205 and 24.8 respectively. Arson arrests were still down between 2016 and 2017, moving from 311 to 292.