Philadelphia crime going down: Which offenses are leading the trend?

Philadelphia crime going down: Which offenses are leading the trend?Photo: iStock
Hoodline
Published on August 29, 2019

The number of crime incidents in Philadelphia saw an overall decrease last week, for the third week in a row, according to data from CrimeoMeter, which collects reports from police agencies and validated sources. Incidents fell to 2,893 for the week of Aug. 18, down from 3,292 the week before.

The specific offenses that decreased the most were assault and vandalism. Assault fell to 521 incidents last week, from 572 the week before. Vandalism went from 280 to 230.

While somewhat smaller categories, there was also a notable percentage decrease in auto theft, from 98 incidents per week to 70, and in rape or sexual assault, from 46 to 27 incidents.

There were seven reported arson incidents last week. That represents a steady state from the previous week. There were also 235 incidents of auto burglary, down from 273 the week before.

Among the few types of offenses that saw an uptick last week, reports of prostitution went from three to 12. Weapons offenses rose from 35 to 41, and burglary went up from 99 to 101.

There were 762 reports of miscellaneous other crimes, a decrease of 126 from the previous week. Other crimes includes a variety of offenses like trespassing, public disturbance and violation of a court order.

Considering the concentration of crime across the city, Cobbs Creek, Haddington and Upper Kensington continued to have the most reported incidents last week.

Crime in Upper Kensington decreased the most; incidents in the neighborhood have been falling for two weeks in a row. Crime reports in North Central also fell, after increasing the week before, and incidents in Logan Square are down considerably as well.

Regarding day and time factors, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday had the most reported crimes last week. The largest decrease from the previous week occurred on Monday, Friday and Sunday, while incidents on Wednesday went up. Comparing times of day, midday, late afternoon and evening saw the most crime last week.

Want a longer-term view of crime in Philadelphia? Here's our latest monthly crime report.

To report a crime in progress or life-threatening emergency, call 911. To report a non-urgent crime or complaint, contact your local police department.

Head to CrimeoMeter to get free local crime alerts in your area.

This story was created automatically using local crime data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about our data sources and local crime methodology. Got thoughts about what we're doing? Go here to share your feedback.