Portsmouth sees a drop in violent crime, but thefts and drug cases rise

Overall crime in Portsmouth is trending in the right direction, but the full picture remains complicated as police work on community solutions.

Portsmouth Police Chief Stephen Jenkins presented first-quarter numbers to city leaders, covering January through March of this year, and compared them to the same period in 2025. Total crimes are down more than 5%, and the number of people falling victim to crime dropped by nearly 6%.

“While we continue to see positive trends in our overall crime numbers, there are some challenges that we continue to address as an organization and as a city, and it does require us to remain vigilant,” Jenkins said…

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