LONG BEACH (CNS) - Overall crime decreased in Long Beach last year compared to 2018, but reports of murder and rape ticked upward, according to statistics released today by the Long Beach Police Department.
There were 2,374 incidents of violent crime in Long Beach in 2019, an 8% decrease from 2018, when there were 2,581 such reports, according to the LBPD.
Despite the decrease in violent crime, there were 34 murders in 2019, up from 30 in 2018. According to police, 44% of those murders were gang-related and 12% were related to domestic violence.
The LBPD did not specify the increase in rape reports, but stated that ``rape remains one of the most unreported crimes and like most of the nation, we have seen an increase in the category locally.''
Long Beach police also reported a decrease in property crime in 2019 to 2018, with 11,362 reports of theft and burglary in 2019 and 11,876 in 2018.
``It is unacceptable that innocent people are impacted by senseless criminal activity. We will continue to work in partnership with our community on strategies to reduce crime and continue to support those victims affected by these crimes,'' Long Beach Police Chief Robert G. Luna said.