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SAN DIEGO —
Violent crime rose 8 percent in the San Diego region last year, and property crimes rose by 9 percent, when compared to 2020, a newly released report found.
In particular, reports of rape and aggravated assault were up, according to the San Diego Association of Governments which tracks local crime data.
And even though reports of robbery and burglary hit a 42-year low last year, thefts were up overall, according to SANDAG. The number of cars stolen jumped 20 percent. And people swiped the parts off cars in surprisingly higher numbers, with such thefts skyrocketing 71 percent. The most commonly stolen parts: catalytic converters.
The agency releases an annual report comparing crime numbers year over year. It has been tracking the data since 1980.
SANDAG Senior Director of Data Science Cynthia Burke noted that while the overall 2021 crime rates are at “historic lows for our region, violent and property crimes were up last year.”
Crime has steadily declined for the last three decades, but some has started to tick back up in recent years, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic started.
Countywide last year, rapes and aggravated assaults were up 11 and 12 percent respectively in 2021 compared to the previous year.
Homicides rose slightly last year, from 115 to 118 — an increase of 3 percent. That’s far less of an increase than in 2020, when homicides spiked 35 percent.
In the homicides last year in which investigators determined a motive, nearly a third of the killings followed an argument. Another 18 percent of the deaths were gang-related.
Domestic violence reports were up 3 percent.
The report also indicates that, about $244 million of property was stolen in the region last year — jumping 22 percent from the previous year.
About 37 percent — $83 million worth — of the stolen property was recovered.
Source: This post first appeared on sandiegouniontribune.com
