With all the talk in the news about the supposedly massive increase in crime in the United States, we thought our readers might be interested in the facts related to crime in Arizona. You may be surprised at what the numbers show, as published by the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
The overall number of crimes in the state has decreased every year since 2018, with the exception of 2021, which was just 1% higher than 2020. And crime was down more than 10% between 2021 and 2022. Regarding specific violent offenses, here are the numbers:
- Overall violent crime: Down by 8.91%
- Homicide: Down by 9.71%
- Aggravated Assault: Down by 6.18%
- Robbery: Down by 16.86%
- Sexual Assault: Down by 11.79%
Other crimes have shown similar trends, including:
- Burglary: Down by 12.28%
- Motor Vehicle Theft: Down by 8.90%
- Arson: Down by 22.05%
- Larceny: Down by 13.3%
- Hate Crimes: Down by 16.8%
These numbers make it clear that crime in Arizona, including violent crime, has been on a fairly steady decrease over recent years. On the other hand, there is one major crime category that has increased markedly during this time. That category is fraud, and the increase is not a minor one. Here are the specifics:
- 2021-2022: Up by 10.67%
- 2020-2021: Up by 123.96%
- 2019-2020: Up by 261.62%
- 2018-2019: Up by 37.27%
- 2017-2018: Up by 7.12%
There are no doubt numerous factors that have contributed to the increase in fraud crimes over the past 5 years. The smaller of the increases might be explained by the proliferation of internet crimes, scams, and identity theft. The massive increases between 2019 and 2021 may, some believe, be attributed to COVID. In that regard, the pandemic resulted in a huge increase in online gambling, online grocery delivery sales, and waves of unemployment, all of which led to an increase in the number of scams. In addition, increased social media use has presented even more opportunities for internet fraud.
Notwithstanding the fraud numbers, the overall thrust of the figures we’ve seen are encouraging, particularly when it comes to violent crime.
Law Offices of David A. Black
40 North Central Avenue #1850
Phoenix, AZ 85004
(480) 280-8028