Incidents of Major Crime Rose 4% in 1990 : Statistics: Law enforcement agencies attribute the increase over 1989 figures to gang activity. Oxnard and Port Hueneme show largest jumps in county.

Major crime in Ventura County rose by more than 4% in 1990 over the year before, a possible reflection of worsening economic conditions and increased gang activity, authorities said Wednesday.

Statistics released by the Sheriff’s Department and city police departments show that reported incidents of major crime jumped from 25,179 in 1989 to 26,300 in 1990. Major crimes are defined as homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, auto theft, arson and theft.

However, homicides in the county declined from 23 in 1989 to 20 in 1990, statistics show.

Oxnard had more incidents of major crime last year than any other city in the county--8,327 incidents compared with 7,975 in 1989, a 4.4.% increase. But major crime increased most in the small city of Port Hueneme, where it rose 34%, from 385 incidents in 1989 to 516 last year.

Ventura County’s crime increase compares with a 1% boost in major crime reported by the Los Angeles Police Department and a 5% increase reported by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for the same period.

The state Bureau of Criminal Statistics estimates that such crimes in California decreased 0.7% in the first half of 1990 compared with the first half of 1989, but statistics for the rest of the year were not yet available.

County authorities said a 1% increase in Los Angeles County, which has a larger volume of crime, is more significant because it reflects a larger number of individual incidents than a 1% increase in Ventura County. For example, a small city that has two murders in one year and four the next would report a 100% increase in homicide incidents.

Nevertheless, they cautioned that the increase in Ventura County should not be overlooked. “Obviously any increase is unacceptable,” Ventura County Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury said.

Authorities said a number of phenomena could have caused the jump in major crime in the county, including an increase in population and increased gang activity.

“I perceive more gang activity and more serious gang activity,” Bradbury said. “We’ve tried several of the drive-by type shootings and cases involving more violence, things that two or three years ago you hardly ever heard of.”

Some law-enforcement authorities also blamed the poor economy for an increase in property crime, such as burglary and theft.

“Historically, as the economy worsens, property crime increases because people are out of work and there’s less money to go around for what they need,” Assistant Sheriff Richard Bryce said.

Oxnard Police Chief Robert Owens said he believes that the drought has played a part in crime increases. He said outdoor crimes, such as auto theft, are more common during clear weather.

Oxnard had more major crime because its overall population is less affluent than other cities in the county, Owens said.

“This is, in significant part, a blue-collar city,” Owens said. “We’re going to have street violence, robberies, assaults, things of that nature.”

Crime against property rose by 1% in Oxnard. But violent crime--which includes homicide, rape and aggravated assault--rose 36%, Owens said.

Aggravated assaults jumped from 490 in 1989 to 772 in 1990, Owens said. He said increasing gang activity in his city could be to blame for the increase in violent crime.

“What we may be seeing is just the heightened friction between young people, which may be manifesting itself in the development of more gangs and more gang violence,” Owens said.

Owens said authorities found that the bulk of violent assaults were carried out by people between 17 and 25 years old. In past years, such assaults were more likely to be carried out by 20- to 27-year-olds, he said.

In an effort to come to grips with the city’s gang situation, the Oxnard department is developing a more sophisticated method of identifying gang members and tracing their activities and associations, Owens said.

Ventura police attributed a 33% decrease in aggravated assault in their city to their efforts to crack down on gang activity.

Port Hueneme Police Chief Robert Anderson said he could not explain the large increase in crime in his small city.

Last year, Port Hueneme experienced a large increase in burglaries, from 146 in 1989 to 278 in 1990, Anderson said.

Four burglars, working independently, were arrested and convicted in about 50 of the incidents, he said.

A 6.2% increase in major crime in Thousand Oaks also stemmed largely from a jump in property crime, authorities said. Residential burglaries increased from 438 in 1989 to 503 in 1990.

A county Sheriff’s Department study of Thousand Oaks burglaries showed that residents in 59% of the houses burglarized failed to lock doors or take other measures that could easily have prevented the crimes, Cmdr. Bill Wade said.

“The reason burglaries are occurring is that people feel safe,” Wade said.

VENTURA COUNTY CRIME STATISTICS

Based on crimes of homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, auto theft, theft and arson that were compiled by individual law enforcement agencies in the county.

Total Crimes Total Crimes Percent 1989 1990 Change Camarillo 1,086 1,197 +10.2% Fillmore 405 404 -0.3% Moorpark 481 489 +1.7% Ojai 279 313 +12.2% Oxnard 7,975 8,327 +4.4% Port Hueneme 385 516 +34.0% Santa Paula 1,435 1,385 -3.5% Simi Valley 3,366 3,397 +0.9% Thousand Oaks 3,051 3,241 +6.2% Unincorporated 1,723 2,006 +16.4% Ventura 4,993 5,025 +0.6% TOTAL 25,179 26,300 +4.5%