BOSTON (SHNS) – The release of 2024 statistics earlier this month indicated crime was down in Massachusetts last year, which the Healey administration said showed the state’s “strong momentum” towards reducing crime and maintaining public safety. But the data paint a more complicated picture, one in which arrests are up and the overall downward trend masks worrisome trends around things like shoplifting and hate crimes.
The preliminary 2024 crime data show there were 231,442 crimes reported in Massachusetts in 2024, down 6.53% from 2023 when looking at all crimes and down 4.4% compared to 2023 when looking just at “part one” crimes like murder, rape, robbery, arson, larceny and burglary. There were 91,619 arrests here last year, an increase of 36 arrests (0.04%) compared to 2023.
When looking at the number of crimes recorded annually per 100,000 people, the state’s crime rate was down 6.5% in 2024, from 3,532.6 crimes per 100,000 people in 2023 to 3,301.9 crimes per 100,000 people last year. The statewide crime rate has been slightly higher since immediately before the COVID-19 pandemic (2,930 crimes per 100,000 people in 2019) but remains well below this century’s high point set in 2008 (4,565.2 crimes per 100,000 people).
There were 132 homicides reported in Massachusetts last year, an 11.4% decrease from 2023 and below the five-year average of 146 homicides, the state said. Robberies were down 8.6% (2,631 in 2023 compared to 2,406 in 2024), aggravated assaults were down 5.7%(17,835 in 2023 versus 16,813 in 2024) and motor vehicle thefts were down sharply last year, 16.1% (8,558 thefts in 2023 and 7,182 in 2024). The state said fraud-related offenses, including identity theft and welfare fraud, saw double-digit declines…