New Bedford Police: Crime Down in 2016

NEW BEDFORD—The New Bedford Police Department (NBPD) has released its crime statistics for 2016.  The number of all crimes in the City of New Bedford fell 10% from 4,488 in 2015 to 4,040 in 2016.

Changes in the numbers of crimes in various categories are summarized below and are detailed further in an accompanying table.

The city saw three homicides in 2016, a decrease from five in 2015.

The city saw 36 rapes in 2016, a decrease from 46 in 2015.

The NBPD received 254 reports of robberies in 2016, a decline from 272 robberies in 2015.

Aggravated assault cases numbered 586 in 2016; there were 771 aggravated assault cases reported in 2015.

Burglary/breaking and entering cases numbered 662 in 2016; the 2015 number was 819.

Larcenies in 2016 numbered 2,179; in 2015, there were 2,262.

There were 23 cases of arson in 2016; the 2015 number was 24.

Motor vehicle thefts numbered 297 in 2016.  The 2015 number was 289.

New Bedford Police Chief Joseph Cordeiro credited his officers’ diligence and hard work for the positive trends New Bedford has seen in violent crime and property crime.

“I appreciate the men and women of the New Bedford Police Department’s dedication to ensuring the public’s safety and their commitment to thoroughly investigate and quickly apprehend those engaging in criminal behavior,’’ Chief Cordeiro said.

Chief Cordeiro also praised the public for its ongoing support and assistance:  “I am equally appreciative of and encouraged by the level of public involvement we are seeing in New Bedford when it comes to residents communicating and sharing information with our department.  In many cases last year, the public provided critical information that enabled New Bedford police officers to be more proactive and effective in responding to reports of criminal activity.”

The Chief added, “Together, our police and our community as a ‘City of One’ will continue to work to establish a more safe and peaceful environment.”

Note Regarding Crime Data Reporting Systems

Local police departments in the United States, including the NBPD, submit crime data annually to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).  The FBI has encouraged local police departments to switch their crime data collection system from the system long-used by departments, including the NBPD, (the Uniform Crime Reporting Program Summary Reporting System (UCR-SRS)), to a new, more detailed, comprehensive system (the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS).

Last year the FBI made the nationwide transition from UCR-SRS to NIBRS a top priority and set January 1, 2021 as a deadline by which local police departments had to convert from UCR-SRS to the NIBRS standard.  NIBRS is recognized as the preferred national standard because it allows for the more detailed collection of data about victims, offenders, property, and arrests.  The transition to NIBRS is expected to improve the accuracy and timeliness of crime statistics, help identify crime patterns and trends, and aid in crime prevention.

The NBPD has been modernizing its technology and data systems for several years, and these upgrades have allowed it to transition from UCR-SRS to NIBRS beginning this year (using 2015-2016 crime data), well in advance of the FBI’s 2021 deadline.  The use of more accurate, detailed crime data under NIBRS will allow the Department to identify crime patterns and trends and maximize its crime prevention effort going forward.  The 2015 data included in the accompanying table differs from previous figures because it is presented using the new NIBRS standard.  Likewise, the 2016 data in the table follow the NIBRS standard, as will all data presented by the NBPD in the future.

--New Bedford Police release