Despite 30 Homicides In 2019, St. Paul Records 25-Year Low In Violent Crime

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Although St. Paul recorded 30 homicides in 2019, police statistics from last year show that violent crime in the capitol city was at a quarter century low.

The St. Paul Police Department released preliminary year-end crime statistics Wednesday, saying that, in general, 2019 saw a drop in crimes against people and an increase in crimes against property.

Violent crime hit a 25-year low, police say. This is despite a 100% year-over-year increase in homicides, with the most gun violence the city has seen since 1992.

RELATED: Map Of Fatal Shootings In St. Paul

Still, other offenses under the umbrella of "violent crime," such as rape and aggravated assault, saw double digit declines. For instance, the number of rapes dropped 19%.

In a press release, St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell says his department made a strategic decision to focus resources in 2019 to address violent crime.

"Last year we focused on the types of crime that hurt people the most, which helped us reduce aggravated assaults and rapes but may have come at a cost in terms of property crime," he said.

Property crimes, such as robbery, burglary and arson, all saw increases. The total number of property crimes was up 11.2%.

The data released Wednesday will be reviewed before being submitted to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program, which gathers and compiles crime statistics from police departments across the country.

By The Numbers

Violent Crimes

-- 224 rapes (19.1% decrease)
-- 943 aggravated assaults (13.4% decrease)
-- 30 criminal homicides (100% increase)

Property Crimes

-- 545 robberies (2.7% decrease)
-- 2,030 burglaries (6.3% increase)
-- 6,673 thefts (13.5% increase)
-- 2,590 vehicle thefts (12.8% increase)
-- 118 arsons (7.3% increase)