The Nation : Crime Posts Smallest Increase in 3 Years

Americans reported 1% more crimes in the first half of this year than in the first half of 1986, an increase that was the smallest in three years, the FBI said. The bureau said that the national crime rate rose 8% in the first six months of 1986, compared to the first half of 1985, and 3% in the first six months of 1985 from the first half of 1984. The latest figures, supplied to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program by police departments, show that property crime rose 2% and violent crime declined 1% during the comparable 1987 and 1986 time periods. The greatest six-month rise in reported crimes, 3%, occurred in the South, followed by the Northeastern states, with a 2% rise in crime reported for the same months. Western and Midwestern states overall reported less crime than the rest of the country.