THOMASVILLE, Ga. (WTXL) — A recent crimes report shows that the overall crime in Thomasville is down 13% for the 5th year in a row.
The Thomasville Police Department released the 2019 crimes stats that shows the 13% decrease.
Police say the downward turn in total crime continues an overall reduction in crime that has continued since 2015.
“There are two type of crimes reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for statistical purposes, which are known as Part 1 crimes, or violent crimes and property crimes,” said Thomasville Police Chief Troy Rich. “Violent crimes are defined as homicide, rape and aggravated assault. Property crimes include burglary, entering an automobile, larcenies, stolen vehicles, arson and robbery.” The crimes reported to the FBI are used in national calculations of crime rates per population.
The report shows that property crime in Thomasville was down by 13.96%, or 121 incidents. “The biggest drops in the property crimes area were for burglaries and larceny from autos,” said Chief Rich. Burglaries dropped by 40%, while larcenies from vehicles also were down by 36%.
“We attribute the property crime reduction to the proactive patrols that have been performed by our police officers,” said Chief Rich. “In addition to these patrols, residents have assisted TPD by doing an outstanding job securing their property and reporting suspicious activities. We cannot solve crime unless the community and police work together, and this reduction demonstrates that together, we can make a difference.”
Authorities say the crime rate for violent crime for Thomasville is 1.57 incidents per 1,000 people. The national crime rate for violent crimes is 3.7 incidents per 1,000 people.
Homicides were also down 50% in 2019 as compared to 2018, according to TPD.
Chief Rich said that while some violent crimes increased for 2019, the key to resolving these issues is through changing behavior.
Rich also said that it takes a community effort to continue the downward turn and that he is driven to see what the 2020 year can bring.
Below are previous crime stats over the last four years:
2018 – down 12%
2017 – down 3%
2016 – down 5%
2015 – down 16%
