Violent Crime Declines in Boston in 2015, Except in One Category

BOSTON, MA — Every category of violent crime decreased in Boston in 2015, except for one, new numbers compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation show.

Despite a growing population, numbers in the FBI's newly released 2015 Uniform Crime Report show the city saw 20 fewer murders, 40 fewer rapes (see note), and 129 fewer robberies.

However, the number of aggravated assaults reported and documented by the FBI increased, climbing from 2,736 in 2014 to 2,873 in 2015.

That tracks with statewide trends, where Massachusetts also saw a decrease across every category of violent crime, except for aggravated assault.

Mass. Violent Crime Totals Rise in 2015; Murders, Rapes, Robberies Decline

Patch has included the 2015 totals for Boston in the table below:

In 2014, the same FBI numbers showed 4,749 incidents of violent crime in the city.

Property crime—which includes burglary, larceny/theft and motor vehicle theft—also declined in 2015, the UCR data show. In 2014, the FBI reported 17,269 incidents of property crime; in 2015, that number was 15,408.

Patch is focusing for the purposes of this piece a year-over-year comparison, as well as a quick look at state versus local numbers for the years noted above. These data in isolation should not be considered a trend.

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