Westford Became A Safer Place in 2012 According to FBI Study

It might not be noticeable on the surface, but if a report released earlier this month is any indication, Westford became a safer place to live in last year.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s “2012 Crime in the United States” survey of Massachusetts towns, Westford saw a decrease crime in nine of 10 categories from 2011 to 2012, seeing an increase only in arson, although there was only one reported case in 2012.

Neither year had any reported murders or manslaughters in Westford, with violent crime dropping from 19 to 11, property crime dropping from 188 to 160 and larcenies dropping from 144 to 121.

Westford also did very well compared to neighboring towns and towns of comparable size on the report, with its violent crimes rate almost 15 times lower than Yarmouth (pop. 23,991) and Wareham (22,136).

However, the FBI indicated in the report that differing municipalities may have various thresholds for reporting crimes.

The annual report includes information submitted by local law enforcement agencies. The information is compiled and released to the public in the fall of the year that follows the reported year.