The Florida crime rate in 2017 was the lowest in 47 years and 6% lower than in 2016, with declines in almost all types of crime except violations, according to the annual report on the matter presented today by the governor of been, Rick Scott.
Scott, who is campaigning to be elected federal senator in November this year, said at a ceremony in Jacksonville (northeast of the state) that since he took office (2011) the crime rate has dropped by 27% thanks to a continued investment to guarantee safety.
According to a government statement, Scott is “proud” to have allocated more than 5.2 billion dollars to public security in this year’s state budget.
During the ceremony, State Attorney General Pam Bondi and other Scott Administration officials paid tribute to the more than 45,000 agents of the Florida security forces and especially to the five “heroes” who died in service this year. .
According to the so-called Uniform Crime Report, which is carried out following the parameters of the FBI, in 2017 612,374 crimes were reported in Florida, of which 526,816 were crimes against property and the remaining 85,558 were violent crimes.
In the number of complaints, there was a decrease of 4.5% with respect to 2016, but if the crime rates are compared, the decrease is 6% (2,989.5 per 1,000 people compared to 3,181.4 in 2016).
The report figures in 711,831 people arrested in 2017 in Florida, which means 2% less than in 2016 (726,494).
All categories of crimes established in the report decreased compared to 2016, except for violations, which totaled 7,934, 4.6% more than the previous year.
In the same percentage (4.6%) murders fell, from 1,108 in 2016, the year in which there was the massacre of 49 people in the Pulse club in Orlando, according to the report, to 1,057 in 2017.
Of the total murders in 2017, 791 were committed with firearms and 119 with bladed weapons.
The number of violent deaths last year includes 162 victims of murder and 18 victims of homicide in acts of domestic violence.
Thefts decreased by 7.7% in the 2016-2017 comparison. The total value of what was stolen in Florida last year was more than 1,335 million dollars and the recovered amounted to more than 629 million.
The report has a section dedicated to domestic violence. In 2017, complaints about these incidents increased by 1.3%, from 105,640 in 2016 to 106,979. (efeusa)
