Lower Providence Crime, by the Numbers

Crime apparently has been going down in Lower Providence Township.

Since at least 2009, the FBI Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) indicate a decrease of certain crimes throughout the township. The FBI UCR incorporate crime data submitted by more than 18,000 law enforcement agencies across the country, including Lower Providence.

The crime statistics are reported only after a full 12-month report by a law-enforcement agency has been submitted through the UCR program.

Among the crime data presented in the UCR are those of known crimes of those individual law enforcement agencies.

In terms of violent crimes, there were 42 reported incidents in 2011, as compared to 2010 with 53 and 48 in 2009 in Lower Providence. Examples of violent crime are listed as robbery, aggravated assault, rape and murder.

Of note, the violent crimes in 2010, from the 53 reported incidents, 50 were aggravated assault (compared to 39 aggravated assault incidents of the 42 violent crimes in 2011).

The UCR also identifies property crimes. In Lower Providence, 268 property crimes were reported in 2011; 278 in 2010; and 289 in 2009.

While the highest number of burglary reports reached 57 in 2010 (compared to 39 in 2011 and 49 in 2009), each of the three years show reported larceny—theft numbering over 200 incidents; the highest of which took place in 2009 with 232 (compared to 202 in 2010 and 229 in 2011).

As explained in a previously published Patch article, larceny-theft includes crimes such as shoplifting, bicycle theft, motor vehicle parts theft, or “the stealing of any property or article that is not taken by force and violence or by fraud. Attempted larceny is included in the UCR data.

There were no motor vehicle thefts reported in 2011 in Lower Providence, but eight were reported in 2009 and 19 were stolen in 2010.

Of note, there have been two incidents of reported arson in all three years.

The UCR also reports the population of the municipality. The reported population in Lower Providence in

• 2009: 26,271

• 2010: 26,475

• 2011: 25,517

According to the UCR, Lower Providence seems to be following a nationwide trend of decreasing crime reports. The UCR states that in 2011, an estimated 1,203,564 violent crimes occurred nationwide, which is a decrease of 3.8 percent from the 2010 estimate, and 15.4 percent below the 2007 level.

There was an estimated 386 violent crimes per 100,000 inhabitants reported in 2011.

As for property crime, Lower Providence Township again seems to follow the nationwide trend, as larceny-theft has accounted for 68 percent of all property crimes in the country in 2011.

Overall, the UCR states that 9,063,173 property crime offenses have been reported throughout the nation in 2011, resulting in losses estimated at $15.6 billion.