There were fewer incidents of burglary and motor vehicle theft in metropolitan Washington in 2005 than 2004 according to the Report on Crime and Crime Control released at this afternoon’s meeting of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG).  However, the number of homicides, rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults and larceny crimes increased. 

Last year, the number of serious Part I crimes in the region totaled 160,079 crimes, a 0.2 percent decrease from 2004.  The biggest decline in Part I crimes was motor vehicle theft—down 8.9 percent from 2004 to 2005.  Homicides increased 10.1 percent, while robberies were up 18.8 percent. 

The Report on Crime and Crime Control also details the crime statistics of each local jurisdiction as well as crimes reported by state and federal officers.  Local police departments, sheriff’s offices, and state and federal police services supply COG with the data for this report.  For a free download of the report, click here.