Lynn police chief says crime stats ‘going in right way’

LYNN – A comparison of 2011 statistics derived from the Lynn Police Department’s annual report reveals that crime is up 5 percent, but Chief Kevin Coppinger warned the numbers could be deceiving.”It’s still a little higher than I wanted, but it seems to be going in the right way,” Coppinger said.The crime rate in 2011 had mixed results, Coppinger said. Rapes, robberies and larcenies all decreased when compared to 2010, while assaults and burglaries increased. The homicide rate remained the same from 2010 with three murders occurring each year.”Several factors have been identified as potential causes for these changes as the department continues its efforts to reduce crime overall,” Coppinger wrote in the report.The department released the report, a 200-page document that is available for download on the department website, last week. It includes a summary of the highlights and major accomplishments of each division, as well as insight into the city’s crime trends dating back to 2008.Coppinger said a top priority for the department has long been the prevention of drug-related crimes, which are often committed by users who commit break-ins, larcenies and robberies to fund their addictions. A total of 1,267 larcenies, 183 robberies and 731 burglaries were reported in Lynn in 2011, compared to 1,643 larcenies, 212 robberies and 605 burglaries in 2010, according to the report.”I’ve said it before, drugs are the root of a lot of other crimes,” Coppinger said.Aggravated assaults had the biggest increase from year to year, going from 464 reported in 2010 to 522 in 2011.The number of reported rapes has already reached 15 this year, compared to 26 total reported rapes in 2011. The number of reported rapes dropped in 2011 from 43 in 2010, but Coppinger said rapes are a tough crime for any department to prevent.”Rapes you just can’t tell, there’s no rhyme or reason,” Coppinger said. “The (offenders) are usually known to the victim, or there’s some type of familiarity there. “Taylor Provost can be reached at [email protected].