Violent crime and property crime are down again this year, according to figures released Friday by the Aurora Police Department.
While citizens at a community meeting in January expressed concern over a perceived increase in violence at the end of 2016 and the beginning of the new year, fewer people were shot or killed in Aurora last year than the year before.
Police said in a statement on their Facebook page that trends over the past two decades “continue to show impressive drops.”
Total major crime decreased 6.2 percent from 2015 to 2016 based on the department’s data on the eight major crime categories. Of those, five categories saw declines — homicides, sexual assaults, assaults or batteries, burglaries, and thefts — while robberies were flat, and vehicle thefts and arsons increased.
Four of the major crime categories are considered violent, while the other half are property crimes. Violent crimes were down 2.9 percent, while property crimes were down 6.8 percent, according to police.
Homicides, the least common violent and overall major crime, were down. Seven homicides were reported in Aurora in 2016, down from the previous year’s nine. Charges have been filed against suspects in two of the homicides from each year, according to information provided by police spokesman Dan Ferrelli. Of the 2016 victims, six of seven were killed by gunshots. Another 40 people were injured in 33 other shootings last year, while 86 shootings resulted in property damage or hit nothing, police said
Criminal sexual assault was down 5 percent, from 60 in 2015 to 57 last year, police said. Aggravated assaults and batteries went down to 437 from 451, a decrease of 3.1 percent, according to the Police Department.
In each of the past two years, 130 robberies were reported.
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Of property crimes, theft decreased the most, by 8.1 percent, to 2,260 in 2016 from 2,458 in 2015, according to the department’s figures. Burglary decreased 6.4 percent, from 471 to 441 last year.
Motor vehicle thefts went up 4.4 percent, to 167 in 2016 from 160 in 2015. Arson increased 75 percent, from 12 in 2015 to 21 in 2016, according to police.
Looking at the big picture, 2016’s numbers continue the overall reduction in major crimes reported by Aurora police during the past two decades.
Over the past 20 years, total crime has decreased 45.5 percent, with violent crime down 29.1 percent, property crime down 48.1 percent and shootings down 63 percent, police said.
In the past 10 years, the total decrease in crime has been 38.8 percent, with violent crime down 20.1 percent and property crime down 41.8 percent. However, shootings over the past 10 years are still up 24.5 percent, according to police.
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