Incidence of crime decreases by 2% in Phoenix

PHOENIX, AZ – The Phoenix Police Department reported that in the first six months of 2023, overall violent crimes decreased by 2%, while those against property overall fell by 19% compared to the same period in 2022.

“I think we have achieved good results, but there is much more to do. This is a job that continues every day and we’re not going to let up,” said Acting Police Chief Michael Sullivan.

According to Uniform Crime Report (UCR) figures for 2023 and a comparison to the previous year. Overall, violent crimes, which include homicide, robbery, aggravated assault and rape, decreases by 2% in Phoenix.

Homicides have decreased by more than 13%. The city reported a total of 98 homicides in the first six months of 2023, compared to 113 in the same time period in 2022.

The clearance rate in the first six months of 2023 was of 96.6%. This rate includes solving homicides from previous years that were not previously recorded.

Robberies decreased by 12%, aggravated assaults remained virtually unchanged from the previous year and rapes increased by 10%. In the first six months of this year, 51 more rapes were reported than in the same period of 2022.

The percentage of people victimized by unknown suspects has remained the same. In more than 66% of reported rapes, the suspect was known to the victim.

Property crimes have decreased by 19% in Phoenix. Those reported in UCR include burglary, larceny, arson, and motor vehicle theft. All areas except motor vehicle theft have seen a decrease in the first six months of 2023.

Analyzing the first six months of 2022 and 2023, burglaries decreased by 10%, robberies by 25.7% and arson by 30.8%.

Motor vehicle thefts have increased by 4% in the first six months of 2023. Two vehicle types, Kia and Hyundai, have experienced a dramatic increase in thefts in 2023, while all other car brands have experienced a decrease.

In addition, the city of Phoenix reported that there have been 21 officer-involved shootings so far this year. Eighteen of these occurred in the first six months of 2023 compared to 13, in the first six months of 2022.

Of the 21 shootings this year, 16 of the suspects were armed with a firearm or a replica firearm. Twelve of those suspects were prohibited possessors.

Four suspects were armed with a non-firearm weapon. Two suspects were later determined to have died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds.

Non-fatal shootings fall in 2023. In the first six months of this year, there has been a nearly 15% decrease in the number of shooting fatalities.

So far this year, 2,547 weapons have been seized, compared to 2,700 in 2022, from January to the end of June.

The Phoenix Police Department is committed to ensuring that its officers are equipped with the tools and training necessary to better serve the community.