New Bedford Police Release 2024 Annual Crime Report

NEW BEDFORD (WBSM) — The New Bedford Police Department released its 2024 annual crime report, and according to the department’s data, violent crime and property crime have both continued to decline.

According to the police data, violent crime in New Bedford is now down 60 percent over the past decade, and property crime is down 52 percent.

“This year’s report highlights the meaningful strides we’ve made as a city in reducing crime and strengthening public safety,” said Chief Paul Oliveira. “While we’ve seen challenges, the progress we have made speaks to the professionalism and determination of our officers.”

“The overall decline in crime is a direct result of focused enforcement, strong community partnerships, and a shared commitment to a safer New Bedford,” Oliveira said. “We continue to prioritize transparency and accountability, using innovative strategies to address crime at its roots and build lasting trust with the City’s residents.”

Oliveira's Last Crime Report as Police Chief

Oliveira is set to retire on May 3, and Mayor Jon Mitchell promised to "cast a wide net" to find his successor. Mitchell recently put together a screening committee to assist in the search.

READ MORE: New Bedford Police Chief Oliveira Announces Retirement

Oliveira has also been mired in controversy following the release of the Boston Globe's Spotlight team's Snitch City podcast series, which accuses Oliveira of abusing the criminal informant system, pocketing money from drug dealers and other improprieties. Mitchell recently hired a firm to investigate those claims.

READ MORE: New Bedford Hires Firm to Look Into Allegations Against Police Department

What the Data Says About Crime in New Bedford

According to the report, the 60 percent drop in violent crime is “due to drastic drops in aggravated assault (-68%) and robbery (-65%).”

The 52 percent drop in property crime is “due to sharp drops in burglary (-74%), arson (-58%) and larceny (-50%).”

Chief: Seven Homicides Unrelated, All Solved

According to the report, there were seven homicides in New Bedford in 2024. All seven were solved.

“Chief Oliveira noted that the City’s seven homicides in 2024 did not fall into a pattern or represent a trend, as each incident was unrelated to one another,” the department said in a release.

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Motor Vehicle Theft Down Following Viral "Challenge"

Police pointed out that motor vehicle theft “spiked in the second half of 2023 due to a nationwide viral social media ‘challenge’ involving Hyundai and Kia vehicles.”

The 2024 statistics show that motor vehicle theft dropped 22 percent from 2023, and decreased five percent over the past 10 years.

How the Data Was Collected

“Crime incidents are calculated in this report using NIBRS categories, without hierarchy calculation and with related/duplicate incidents excluded. That is, incidents with offenses in multiple categories will count to each category for which an offense is present, multiple arrests from a single incident are counted as one incident, and arrests where there is also an incident report are excluded,” the report states.

It notes that because of this, the numbers will differ from the numbers that will be released by the Federal Bureau of Investigations in its annual crime report.

READ MORE: The Full 2024 New Bedford Police Annual Crime Report