Crime Rate Continues to Climb in Hampton Roads

'Tis the season to batter, steal, and kill. Does that sound right? Of course it doesn't! Yet that is exactly what is happening in Hampton Roads. Crime, as a whole, is up both on the Southside (Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, and Portsmouth) and the Virginia Peninsula (Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, York County, and James City County). Unfortunately, the trend is mirroring national statistics recently released by the FBI. Reports point out that violent crime was up 3.7 percent in the first half of 2006. Nationally, the number of robberies increased 9.7 percent, while murders rose 1.4 percent. Although forcible rape offenses declined, the drop was only about 0.1 percent while aggravated assaults still increased by 1.2 percent.

It appears that Hampton Roads must also lay claim to that trend. Within a few days of each other, two violent crimes - - one on each side of the bay - - illustrate a deadly growing problem. On Friday, December 15, 2006, an elderly mother came home from a shopping trip only to be attacked by two men who grabbed her by the neck and threw her into the laundry room. Unbeknownst to her, as she begged and pleaded that they not hurt her child, the home invaders had already murdered her 40-year-old son. On Tuesday, December 19th, three intruders burst into the home of an 85-year-old Newport News woman, whom they bound and gagged. They then tore her house apart looking for items of value, although it appears that all they took was cash.

Home invasion seems to be a crime on the rise in Hampton Roads. Citizens are cautioned by local police to be diligent before opening their doors; particularly to people they do not know. Here are some tips they offer for avoiding home invasion:

Crime is on the rise nationally and in Hampton Roads

Credit: Click Art

Copyright: Broderbund