Since the start of the new year, Boston has been hammered by a string of winter storms, which have collectively dropped more than six feet of snow. With the city at what seems like a nearly monthly-long standstill, crime in the early stages of 2015 is down from this time last year.
Major crimes – homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny and vehicle theft – are down 34 percent in 2015, compared to Jan. 1 and Feb. 8, 2014, the Boston Globe reports.
Boston Police Commissioner Bill Evans – who hopes it snows “everyday” – said the crime rate had been on the decline before the winter blitz. But with less people outdoors, Evans told the Globe, “You’re going to have less robberies and burglaries.”
Here’s a look at the number of reported crimes in 2015 (Jan. 1–Feb. 8):
- Homicides: 3 (down 70 percent from 2014)
- Rapes: 10 (down 54.4 percent from 2014)
- Robberies: 119 (down 44.7 percent from 2014)
- Aggravated assaults: 216 (down 13.9 percent from 2014)
- Burglaries: 172 (down 32 percent from 2014)
- Larcenies: 876 (down 34.9 percent from 2014)
- Vehicle thefts: 97 (down 45.8 percent from 2014)
According to Boston Snow Stats, 78 inches of snow have fallen on the city this winter – or 6.6 ft. Another storm expected to arrive Thursday afternoon could drop another five inches.
Photo via Paul Keleher/CC BY 2.0
