Chart: Violent Crime Statistics Across the Region
This week's chart focuses on crime rates.
Violent crime is considered any crime in which force is used upon the victim. These crimes include rape, murder, robbery.
The data below is courtesy the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The data does not break down what type of crimes were accounted for in each community.
Lowell and Lawrence lead the list with the most instances of violent crime while North Andover has the lowest.
| Community | Violent Crime Per 1,000 Residents, 2010 | Total Violent Crime |
| Andover | 0.4 | 15 |
| Chelmsford | 2 | 67 |
| Dracut | 0.2 | 5 |
| Haverhill | 5.7 | 350 |
| Lawrence | 9.1 | 631 |
| Littleton | 0.6 | 5 |
| Lowell | 11.6 | 1,191 |
| Melrose | 1.3 | 35 |
| Methuen | 2.4 | 105 |
| North Andover | 0.3 | 7 |
| North Reading | 1.5 | 21 |
| Reading | 0.6 | 13 |
| Tewksbury | 2.9 | 88 |
| Westford | 1.1 | 24 |
| Wilmington | 1.6 | 35 |
Joan Gong
11:57 am on Wednesday, February 15, 2012
I'd be interested in a more detailed analysis of the Chelmsford number -- it seems high. Excluding the cities, Chelmsford and Tewksbury are high in comparison to the other towns.
Joe Bill
12:08 pm on Wednesday, February 15, 2012
This is alarming data and it shows the downslope this town in on. Crime is on the increase, home values are declining, and the main road looks like a ghost town. At one time this town was on the same level as Wilmington...now it looks like the low rent district. I fear we have past the point of no return.
Jeff Hardy
2:16 pm on Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Main road is a ghost town? No more than any other town right now, actually less. Wilmington just rezoned to add additional roadside store fronts, continue down rte 38, same as Chelmsford. Do you think 110 should be like 38?
Tim Miranda
12:51 pm on Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Joe - how does this data show that crime is on the increase?
Joe Bill
3:03 pm on Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Check statistics from 2005 - 2009. Our crime rate compares to Methuen...take a drive through Methuen and tell me if that's what you would envision for Tewksbury.
satisfied customer
4:58 pm on Wednesday, February 15, 2012
The problem with this is that only the violent crimes are counted, out homes and cars are being broken into at an alarming rate also!!!!!! What are those stats?
Don Willis
5:03 pm on Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Westford is nowhere near the 'nice' place it was when I moved here 15 years ago, Traffic and more building (2 market Baskets?!?), Increase in violent crime, more and more drugs in the schools (and not just Marijuana but harder drugs like Cocaine), Off campus Grind Dances, Teachers who we cant afford to pay a competitive rate who are working to rule indefinitely and a Superintendent who seems to be melting under the heat and is more concerned with cupcakes in the schools than drugs... Westford Bubble has burst!!
billvill
5:07 pm on Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Dracut 0.2?? Me thinks the tabulator has got some 'splaining to do.
Shannon Scopa
8:01 am on Thursday, February 16, 2012
Dracut only had 5 violent crimes? I find that very hard to believe.
Dirk Anderson
1:10 pm on Friday, February 17, 2012
I have to agree, seems a bit far fetched. I assume Dracut is reporting differently than the other towns.
Paul Sarrategui
8:07 am on Thursday, February 16, 2012
While overall, I would have to agree that things might be getting worse, they may not be as bad as we think, we need comparison stats for, let us say the past 2-3 years, this will show the percent of increase and in what area (specifically) so don't let these stats scare you, we need more info; but in the meantime, we need to rething our government, schools and social ideas because our children and their future is at stake.
Peggy Dunn
9:01 am on Thursday, February 16, 2012
I always considered the comment section of Patch to be interesting because you had to use your real name......what's with billvill and Kate S., and satisfied customer?
billvill
9:03 am on Thursday, February 16, 2012
...and that's relative to the subject matter at hand, how??
Tom Christiano
10:21 am on Thursday, February 16, 2012
I'm with you Peggy. I think the conversation and comments are generally more interesting and on a higher level when we all had to use our real names on Patch.
Yes, people who are anonymous can still post relevant and interesting comments, and often do so... the problem is that they are now much more incentivized to post negative comments since they are not standing behind what they are writing if they don't disclose who they really are. I understand that some people can and do see this topic very differently.
billvill
11:02 am on Thursday, February 16, 2012
Carmen, it has nothing to do with being (or not being) accountable for what I post. It has everything to do with minimizing the amount of personal information I post on the web in general. Take a look at this:
http://www.ittechnewsdaily.com/33-2011-set-worst-year-security-breaches.html
If major financial institutions, major defense contractors, and NASA can get hacked, what's to stop a nefarious individual from hacking Patch to get whatever they want? Answer...very little.
Mark
1:58 pm on Thursday, February 16, 2012
Peggy , This thread consists of nothing but polite, civil conversation . Are you a monitor for this forum ?
billvill
9:32 am on Thursday, February 16, 2012
Exactly Kate! I always find it amusing and a little disconcerting that people as so willing to put personal information up in venues such as this, or Facebook, or Twitter. The internet is not a safe place. Certainly not the Warm and Fuzzy place Peggy Dunn lives in.
Mark
9:43 am on Thursday, February 16, 2012
Are we suggesting that people need to use their full real name to make their post relevant ??
Oh ...and here is a little info if you may find useful, or you may not :< /
http://www.cityrating.com/crime-statistics/massachusetts/chelmsford.html
Dirk Anderson
1:19 pm on Friday, February 17, 2012
no Mark, but it helps. It's well shown that comments sections that are anonymous tend to have alot more negative comments including a lot more biggoted remarks. Of course, with a smallish group of people on this site and the fact that we all live in the same town (and of course, everyone in Tewksbury is polite) I have yet to see anything in the comments get too offensive.