Good news for Prince William County: Overall crime has plummeted to a 15-year low in 2014, says Prince William police.
Prince William police chief Steve Hudson says crime has dropped by 9.4 percent from 2013, among which robberies, burglaries, larcenies and car thefts all saw drastic drops. The overall decrease in crime represents a trend that began in 1994.
Highlighting the impressive decrease in overall crime were a nearly nine percent in motor vehicle thefts, a 10.9 percent fall in larceny, and a sharp decline of nearly 15 percent in robberies.
Hudson released the 2014 crime statistics for Prince William Friday afternoon.
“I am pleased to report a continued downward trend in the crime rate,” Hudson says. “Although the crime rate has declined, the number of violent crimes increased this past year.
The bad news is violent crime in Prince William rose by 7.3 percent in 2014, including a staggering 37 percent spike in aggravated assaults, which many attribute to a 2014 amendment in Virginia law that began classifying strangulation as felony aggravated assault. Also, the murder and rape number remained unchanged in 2014.
Prince William County has 422, 727 residents. And while violent crime amounts to small percentage (8.4 percent) of the overall numbers, Prince William police officials stress the need to remain aggressive in their efforts.
“As is always the case, we must continue to be diligent in addressing crime in collaboration with the community and our strategic partner,” Hudson says.
