A report released April 28 by the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) shows that while crime in the region continued to drop across the board during 2010, the number of bank robberies jumped way up.
Overall, robberies—like almost all other crimes—declined during 2010, decreasing by 17 percent from 2009 to 2010. There were a total of 3,350 robberies in 2010, down from 4,033 in 2009. However, bank robberies jumped by 73 percent, from 92 in 2009 to 159 last year.
“Overall, the good news continues in the San Diego region,” said Dr. Cynthia Burke, SANDAG director of criminal justice research. “Crime continued to decrease in the region in spite of concerns that troubles with the economy would result in increased property crime.”
The Thirty Years of Crime in the San Diego Region: 1981 through 2010 report released by SANDAG yesterday details crimes for all 18 cities and the unincorporated area of the county. It serves as a tool for local law enforcement agencies in gauging the success of enforcement strategies and crime prevention programs.
There were 3.61 violent crimes per 1,000 residents in the county during 2009, a 10 percent decrease from the year before and a 30-year low. (Violent crimes include homicide, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.)
Homicides in the region saw a solid decrease for the fifth year running, dropping from 75 in 2009 to 67 in 2010. The number of homicides peaked at 278 in 1991.
With the seventh consecutive annual decrease, the property crime rate also hit its lowest point in the past 30 years, at 21.04 incidents per 1,000 residents despite speculation that it might increase with the downturn in economic conditions. Property crimes hit a 30-year high in 1988, with 67.26 incidents per 1,000 residents. (Property crimes include burglary, larceny theft, and motor vehicle theft.)
Other interesting facts in this year’s report include:
The number of burglaries and larcenies were at 30-year lows.
Motor vehicle thefts decreased by 10 percent from 2009 to 2010, the greatest one-year decrease for property-related crime.
There were 133 hate crime events reported to local law enforcement in 2010, compared to 108 in 2009 –an increase of 23 percent.
The City of San Diego compared favorably to other large cities in the United States in 2009 (the most recent statistics available). Of the 32 cities (rather than counties or regions) with populations of 500,000 or more, San Diego had the third lowest violent crime rate and the second lowest property crime rate.
