Major Crime Up 16% in West Covina

Major crimes in West Covina--including robbery, assault and theft--have increased almost 16% over last year, according to Police Chief Craig Meacham’s midyear report. As of June, however, there had been decreases in the number of rapes and burglaries.

Meacham’s report, given to the City Council at this week’s meeting, notes that a “correlation between substance abuse and major crimes can be established in the majority of cases.” The second biggest factor causing the increase was a rise in gang activity, Meacham said.

The largest increase was in theft, which shot up 28%. There has also been a 20% increase in robberies and 6% increases in assaults and car thefts.

Because of the increased criminal activity, police have made 3,792 arrests, a 12% increase over the same period last year. Police response time has remained at a 4.9-minute average, considered excellent for a city the size of West Covina, according to other law enforcement officials.