Violent crime dropped by more than 15% in the United States during the first three months of 2024, according to statistics released Monday by the FBI.
The new numbers show violent crime from January to March dropped 15.2% compared to the same period in 2023, while murders fell 26.4% and reported rapes decreased by 25.7%.
Aggravated assaults decreased during that period when compared to last year by 12.5%, according to the data, while robberies fell 17.8%.
Meanwhile, property crime went down 15.1% in the first three months of this year.
In a statement Monday, Attorney General Merrick Garland stressed the new data “makes clear that last year’s historic decline in violent crime is continuing.”.
The new FBI figures validate a trend identified by some national crime experts: The US murder rate continues to drop at a high rate and could be headed for its largest annual decline ever.
The US murder rate has declined since 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic brought with it a surge in homicides across the country. »