The crime rate in North Carolina last year was the lowest reported since 1977. The state Attorney General’s office released the 2011 statistics yesterday. Here are the findings at the state and local levels.
In North Carolina, the number of murders increased from 468 last year to 501 this year. North Carolina State Attorney General Roy Cooper says law enforcement officials are concerned about one of the potential reasons behind the increase.
“. . . we have gotten reports from law enforcement about a concern in increased gang activity and we know that guns were used in significantly more of the murders this year.”
Mr. Cooper says the state doesn’t track statistics on all crimes, making it difficult to positivity establish the link between increases in murders and gang activity.
New Hanover’s violent crime rate declined almost 11% and property crimes decreased nearly 6% between 2011 and 2010. Brunswick County experienced slight declines in both violent and property crime rates.
In the city of Wilmington, violent crimes overall declined by 8% last year. Although the number of murders increased, from 5 to 10, reported rapes declined by nearly one-third. Crimes involving robberies and aggravated assaults also decreased significantly while the number of property crimes was nearly the same as compared to last year.