Fairfax County crime data for the first half of the year shows the number of murders and rapes declined slightly compared with the same period last year, but the number of assaults increased, especially on family members.
The police department released its countywide data from January through June, and it showed murders declined from 12 to 10 and forcible sex offenses declined from 194 to 192.
But the number of assault offenses jumped by 583 to 4,931, a 13.4 percent increase. Aggravated assaults jumped 20 percent and non-aggravated assaults, 13.4 percent.
Assaults on family members went up 26 percent, with 816 such assaults reported from January through June of this year. In 2022, there were 702 assaults on family members in the first half of the year.
The police department does say that for the crimes of homicides, rapes, robberies, and aggravated assaults, the county, in comparison to jurisdictions of a similar size, remains the safest, based on data from the Major Cities Chiefs Association.
In terms of property crimes, residential burglaries increased nearly 31 percent from 65 in the first half of 2022 to 85 in the first half of 2023, while home invasions declined from nine to two during that same period.
According to the crime report, the largest crime increase Fairfax County saw this year has been in shoplifting, where the numbers are up 50 percent. The police handled 3,736 shoplifting cases in 2023’s first half, compared to 2,489 in 2022.
Feature image by David von Diemar
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