Violent Crime About the Same, Property Crime Up for Natick in 2015: FBI Data

NATICK, MA — New data released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Tuesday indicates that the violent crimes known to law enforcement increased (ever so slightly) in 2015 compared to 2014 in Natick, and the number of property crimes also increased in 2015.

According to the latest Uniform Crime Reporting statistics (UCR), there were 54 violent crimes reported in Natick in 2015, compared to 53 violent crimes reported in 2014, representing a 1.8 percent increase. The number of total property crimes increased from 497 in 2014 to 523 in 2015, representing an increase of more than five 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: 3 in 2014, 6 in 2015
• Aggravated Assault: 47 in 2014, 42 in 2015

Here's how Natick'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: 43 in 2014, 38 in 2015
• Larceny/Theft: 444 in 2014, 473 in 2015
• Motor Vehicle Theft: 10 in 2014, 12 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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