Incidents of major crime ticked up in 2008 over the previous year but were significantly down from 10 years ago, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which today released the annual statewide crime report.
The agency said index crimes, which include murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assaults, burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft, increased by 0.1 percent from 2007.
"The number one priority of government is to make our neighborhoods safe and secure for Floridians," Gov. Charlie Crist said in prepared statement included in the announcement. "Our state is committed to implementing the necessary tools and resources to deter criminal activity and protect the people."
The 2008 report shows that the number of violent crimes decreased by 4.3 percent from the previous year and that there was a 9.7 percent drop in total violent crimes from 1998. Violent crimes include murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault.
The report also said that domestic violence offenses dropped by 1.8 percent compared with the previous year. Nonviolent crime, which includes burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft, increased 1.7 percent, the report said.
"It's encouraging to see a decrease in violent criminal offenses," FDLE Commissioner Gerald Bailey said in the prepared statement. "There have been focused efforts to target violent criminals, and we're beginning to see the results. Public safety is a priority in our state, and law enforcement is working hard to ensure Florida's citizens and visitors are safe."
The 2008 annual Uniform Crime Report includes data submitted by 407 of the 413 local, county and state law enforcement agencies, covering 99.9 percent of the state's population.
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