Crime & Safety
Property Crime Big in Andover Last Year
How did Andover fare in various crime stats in 2012?
The FBI has released local crime stats for Massachusetts communities, and in Andover it's all about property.
The data is compiled by the FBI in cooperation with local police departments.
In 2012, there were 290 crimes categorized as "property crime." This includes property damage, theft (motor vehicle and other property) and burglary.
Broken down by property crime, there were 50 burglaries, 226 larcenies and 14 motor vehicle thefts.
On the violent crime side, there were 23 total violent crimes: 20 assaults, 2 robberies and one rape.
Andover's stats should of course be viewed in perspective with other communities. In Chelmsford, for example, there were 547 property crimes and 25 violent crimes. In North Reading, there were 148 property crimes and 5 violent crimes.
According to the FBI, more than 1.2 million violent crimes occurred nationwide last year, up by .7 percent from 2011. That is still down from more than 1.4 million in 2008.
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