By THOMAS GRILLO
LYNN — Despite high-profile shootings last month and four murders last year, the city’s overall crime rate is down.
In four out of seven crime categories, the numbers fell, according to the latest data from the Lynn Police Department.
The biggest drop came in auto thefts. There were 30 percent fewer cars stolen last year compared to 2015. Burglaries were down by 14 percent. Larcenies, the unlawful taking and removing of another’s personal property, fell by 6 percent and assaults dropped by 3 percent.
Not all the news was good. The number of murders doubled to 4 in 2016, up from 2 in 2015. Rapes rose by 11 percent to 39 last year from 35 in 2015 and robberies increased to 178 from 176, a 1 percent rise.
“Obviously we are concerned about the number of rapes and murders and it’s something we need to address,” said Deputy Chief Michael Mageary, who is expected to be named chief this month. “But the other totals are very significant and it speaks clearly to the men and women on the street and the special units doing investigations. We are trending in the right direction, that’s for sure.”
Auto thefts fell to 211 last year, down from 303 in 2015; burglaries decreased to 376 from 435; larcenies dropped to 1,390 from 1,473; Assaults fell to 444, down from 450.
“We’ve been working to reduce motor vehicle larcenies for several years and we’ve seen a dramatic decrease,” Mageary said.
Ironically, one reason some of the numbers are lower, Mageary said, stems from budget cuts last year which put some of the special units back on patrol.
“Overall, crime is down 17 percent for the month of January,” he said. “I don’t know if that’s weather– related, but our guys and women are out there working really hard.”
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Thomas Grillo can be reached at [email protected].