Smartphone Robberies Send Crime In San Francisco To 5-Year High
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)—Crime is at five-year high in San Francisco and according to police, the increase of smartphone robberies is largely responsible.
The latest numbers show that nearly 46,000 crimes were reported to police the end of October—the most ever since the San Francisco Police Department started tracking trends with their CompStat database in 2009.
Crime In San Francisco At 5-Year High; Much Due To Smartphone Robberies
At the current rate, the city could experience a 22% jump in crime, largely due, police say, to the theft of smartphones, tablets and other easy to grab electronics.
Murders, however, are only half of what they were five years ago with 37 homicides reported through the end of last month.
Twenty-five percent of all crime happens in the densely-populated downtown area from the Embarcadero to Duboce Avenue. It's a target-rich environment for thieves with plenty of workers and expensive real estate.
The statistics, however, are rosy compared to the numbers in Oakland and San Jose.
Oakland saw an increase of 23% in property and violent crime, and a 43% spike in burglaries.
Meanwhile, San Jose saw property crime go up nearly 33%.
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