Camden County Crime statistics for January to August for the year 2014 were recently released by county officials. They stated that there had been a reduced trend for violent crimes compared to the same period in the years 2012 and 2013.
Through the end of August, there had been 22 murders and according to the police there had been 35 in 2013 and 44 in 2012, during the same period. A similar decrease was witnessed in the statistics of rape. There had been 29 incidents of rape by the end of August this year, while in 2013 there had been 39 in the same time period. There were 57 instances for the same period in 2012, which is significantly more than the two following years.
While there was a remarkable drop in rape and murder incidents, robberies and aggravated assaults also showed mild decreases. The statistics for robberies from January to August showed a 13% decrease compared to the same period from 2013, and 25% since 2012. Furthermore, according to the police; nonviolent crimes including burglary, larceny, arson, and motor vehicle theft decreased 17% compared to 2013, and 31% from 2012.
A plan to eliminate the city police force and replace it with a county based department was announced in 2012. The process of building up a department began in 2013, and this was when the police force had around 160 officers. Gradually, the number of county officers increased until the department was fully allowed to take over public safety by May, 2013. Recent reports suggest that there are 376 officers at the County Police Metro Division, and their goal is to reach 411 officers. The decrease in crime rate has been attributed to efficiency of the new department, as there seems to be a direct relationship between the decrease in crime and the increasing role of the new county police in public safety. Viewing the statistics, it must however be kept in mind, that they involve reported incidents, and some thought should be given to the consideration that all violent or even non-violent crimes may not have been reported.
