Chief: New Bedford Police Doing Their Job

The Federal Bureau of Investigations announced on Monday their 2014 Crime Statistics.  The agency reported there were 12.6 violent crimes in New Bedford per one-thousand people in 2014.

Police Chief  David Provencher says while New Bedford has seen its share of violent crimes, those figures do not show the entire picture of crime in New Bedford.  Provencher indicated the FBI data is one dimensional, and doesn't compare New Bedford to peer cities. It also doesn't account for neighborhoods and demographics.

By the way, the FBI gets its data directly from cities and towns that choose to participate.  Ninety-seven communities in Mass. did not provide any data and were not included in the report.

Several weeks ago, the city announced that crime had dropped 13% over the first seven months of 2015, compared to the same period last year.

Provencher says those numbers give a better picture of what's happening "right now."

While conceeding that the FBI numbers should not be ignored, the Chief says New Bedford Police are doing their job, preventing crimes and saving lives.