WASHINGTON — A new report by the Prince William County Police Department said the total number of crimes reported rose by 3.6 percent in 2017.
The report also found the crime rate increased slightly in 2017, but even with the slight rise, the crime rate is still down from where it was 15 years ago.
Police measured the crime rate at 14.0 crimes per 1,000 residents in 2017, which is a slight increase from the 13.7 crimes per 1,000 residents the department measured in 2016.
The total number of Group A offenses, which include crimes like murder, rape, aggravated assault and burglary, rose by 8.16 percent last year compared to 2016.
Murders
The good news for police and residents of Prince William County is the number of murders dropped significantly.
There were only four murders in 2017, a decrease of 82 percent compared to 2016.
All four murders in 2017 were the result of a stabbing.
In three of the murders, the victim was known by or acquainted with the offender and one was a domestic case, the report said.
Police said that arrests were made in three of the cases. In the one domestic case, the offender committed suicide.
Rapes
The number of reported rapes rose from 60 to 112 in 2017, an increase of 87 percent.
Just because a rape was reported in 2017 does not mean it necessarily happened in 2017. Police said 33 percent of the reported rapes last year were alleged to have happened in the years prior.
Police said that only one of the 2017 rapes was reported as committed by a stranger.
Aggravated Assaults
Aggravated assaults increased from 524 in 2016 to 576 last year, an increase of 10 percent.
Police said since 2014, aggravated assaults have increased by 21 percent.
Assaults on Prince William County police officers
Assaults on police officers rose 35.8 percent in 2017 to 148.
Police noted that in the 2016 crime report, the department initially noted 80 assaults on officers but after further inspection it determined there were 109 assaults on officers in 2016.
You can find the complete report on the Prince William County Police Department’s website.
