KBI Releases Annual Crime Data

Crime Seene

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Topeka – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) has released the 2016 Kansas Crime Index Report. The report compiles crime statistics reported to the KBI by local and state law enforcement agencies across Kansas, which are submitted through the Kansas Incident Based Reporting System (KIBRS).

Violent Crime Analysis
The 2016 Kansas Crime Index Report reflected an overall increase of 4.2% in violent crimes such as murders, rapes, robberies, and aggravated assaults and batteries. This increase occurred even after a sharp 11.2% increase for these violent crimes in 2015.

Further, the incidence of murder continued to rise in 2016. Kansas had a total of 148 murders reported, an increase of 12.1% over the number reported in 2015. Of these, 14.3% involved multiple murders in a single incident. The murder rate in 2016 is as high as Kansas has seen since 2000, when 156 murders were reported. The highest murder rate recorded in the state was in 1993 with 188 murders reported.

Property Crime Analysis
Property crimes in Kansas have tended to decline in the past several years. However, this year’s 2% increase in the overall property crime rate is driven by a significant increase in the number of motor vehicle thefts.

Find the full 2016 Kansas Crime Index report at: http://www.kansas.gov/kbi/stats/stats_crime2016.shtml.

NOTE: Data from the Kansas Crime Index report is derived from standard offense and arrest reports submitted by local law enforcement agencies across Kansas. It is dependent on victims reporting crimes. The report is compiled to provide a historical assessment and snapshot of crime trends. It is often not possible to draw further interpretations or conclusions from the data. The KBI cautions against using data to make direct comparisons between jurisdictions. Often these comparisons are not valid as the factors influencing crime vary widely between communities.