Violent crime rises on Oahu

FBI statistics show a dramatic 28 percent climb in arson cases

Overall violent crime increased on Oahu, as well as across the country, while overall property crime decreased, according to an FBI crime statistics report released yesterday.

The City and County of Honolulu saw 2,570 violent crimes in 2005 compared with 2,507 violent crimes in 2004, an increase of 2.5 percent, according to the preliminary FBI Annual Uniform Crime Report.

Murder was the only violent crime that decreased on Oahu: 15 in 2005 compared with 26 in 2004, a drop of 42 percent. All other violent-crime categories increased. Rape was up 5.4 percent, robbery increased 2.8 percent and aggravated assault increased 2.7 percent.

Overall property crime decreased almost 4 percent, led by a 14.2 percent drop in burglary, a 7.7 percent decrease in auto theft and an 0.5 percent drop in larceny/theft.

There was a dramatic increase in arson cases on Oahu last year, 547, compared with 427 in 2004, an increase of 28 percent. Arson cases are considered property crimes, but the FBI does not include them in the property crime category.

FBI officials said Honolulu's numbers mirror what is happening across the nation, where there was also a 2.5 percent increase in violent crime while property crime decreased 1.6 percent.

Murder and non-negligent manslaughter rose 4.8 percent while robbery increased 4.5 percent and aggravated assault was up 1.9 percent.

Rape was the only violent-crime category that saw a decrease in 2005 nationally, down 1.9 percent from the year before.

In the national category of property crime, larceny/theft was down 2.5 percent, arson was down 2.2 percent and burglary was up 0.6 percent. No significant change was shown for auto theft nationally, according to the FBI.

The FBI's preliminary crime report for 2005 was compiled with statistics from 12,485 law enforcement agencies across the country that submit data through the Uniform Crime Report on a biannual basis.

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