While Fayetteville’s overall crime rate is on the decline, a troubling spike in youth crime is prompting concern among city leaders and community organizations.
Police data released this week shows that total crime in Fayetteville has dropped by 7% in the past year. However, crimes involving young people, particularly robberies and assaults, are on the rise.
Youth crime by the numbers:
- Robberies involving minors doubled from 20 cases in 2024 to 40 in 2025, and assaults climbed from 238 to 359 incidents, a 50% increase.
- Drug-related incidents increased by 12%
- Weapon offenses are down by 23%
“We’ve gone to several community events where we are discussing these issues with our youth, and we have folks that are in the system that are coming back and talking about it so that we can address the issue from that perspective,” Police Chief Roberto Bryan Jr. said…