OXNARD : Serious Crimes in 1991 Increase 18%

Serious crimes in Oxnard for 1991 climbed by 18% over the previous year,according to a report released this week by Police Chief Robert P. Owens.

Of eight crime categories outlined in the report, only homicide and auto theft showed a slight decrease. There were nine homicides in 1990 contrasted with seven homicides in 1991, and 983 auto thefts in 1990 contrasted with 980 in 1991, the report says.

The report noted a large increase in burglaries and robberies last year, of 59.4% and 37.4% respectively.

Assistant Chief James Latimer attributed the crime increase to the lackluster economy and a growing population.

“When times are tough, people will steal to feed their families,” Latimer said.

Violent crimes including homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault climbed by 40.3% overall, the report says.

“Locally, we will evaluate the reasons for these increases to see if there’s anything we need to do different in the way of enforcement and education,” Latimer said. “Hopefully, the statistics won’t keep climbing.”