US violent crime falls for third straight year – FBI
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Violent crime in the United States fell in 2009 for the third straight year, with the number of murders dropping to a level not seen in four decades, according to FBI statistics released yesterday. Violent crime dropped 5.3 per cent in 2009, including a 7.3 per cent decline in murders, an 8 per cent drop in robberies, a 4.2 per cent decline in aggravated assaults and 2.6 per cent fall in rapes, according to the final 2009 statistics.
There were 15,241 murders in 2009, authorities reported to the FBI, a level not seen since 1969 when there were 14,760, according to the Justice Department. The number of murders came close to that level in 1999 when there were 15,522. Property crimes in the United States also fell last year, by 4.6 per cent, with motor vehicle thefts plummeting 17.1 per cent and burglary down 1.3 per cent, the FBI said.
In New York City, the largest US city, the violent crime rate dropped just over 4 per cent, including a 10 per cent drop in the number of murders. Meanwhile, property crime also fell 5.3 per cent, according to the statistics.
