Property Crime Down for Holliston in 2015: FBI Data

HOLLISTON, MA — New data released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Tuesday indicates that the violent crimes known to law enforcement increased slightly in 2015 compared to 2014 in Holliston, and the number of property crimes also decreased in 2015.

According to the latest Uniform Crime Reporting statistics (UCR), there were 6 violent crimes reported in Holliston in 2015, compared to 5 violent crimes reported in 2014, representing a 20 percent increase. The number of total property crimes decreased from 62 in 2014 to 57 in 2015, representing a decrease of eight percent.

That's based on reported offenses documented in the FBI's 2015 Uniform Crime Report.

According to the UCR program, violent crime is composed of murder and non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. Property crime includes the offenses of burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft and arson.

Here's a look at the difference in violent crimes reported between the two years as listed in the latest data. There were no reported murders or non-negligent manslaughter crimes reported in either year.

• Rape (revised definition): 3 in 2014, 6 in 2015
• Robbery: 0 in 2014, 1 in 2015
• Aggravated Assault: 2 in 2014, 1 in 2015

Here's how Holliston's 2015 property crime statistics compared to its 2014 numbers. The FBI does not publish arson data unless it receives data from either the agency or the state for all 12 months of the calendar year.

• Burglary: 23 in 2014, 12 in 2015
• Larceny/Theft: 38 in 2014, 43 in 2015
• Motor Vehicle Theft: 1 in 2014, 2 in 2015

The UCR serves as guidelines for many things, from informing law enforcement decision on budgeting and resource allocation, to informing lawmakers' anti-crime legislation.

However, the FBI cautions against using them as a means of comparing different locales, since there are many factors at play, including but not limited to: population density and degree of urbanization; the number of young people; economic conditions; and family conditions.

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