By STEVE FREKER
MALDEN — Crime was down across the board citywide last year according to the latest statistics, particularly socially-related crimes and other non-violent, family-related crimes, Malden Police Kevin Molis reported last week.
The report was presented at the Malden City Council’s Public Safety Committee meeting. With decreases in nearly every category, Molis said he was encouraged by the numbers, saying it shows how residents and the police department are working together in Malden. “It’s one of our goals to have members of the police department work with residents and we hope to get results like this.”
Malden and most communities around the country use the FBI-based National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS) to assemble and disseminate detailed information on crime statistics in that specific city or town. Overall, according to statistics presented by Molis, crime reports of all categories dropped by some 16.9 percent in 2016 from 2015. For instance, there were 34,232 calls to the Malden Police Department in 2015 and 27,801 in 2016.
Ward Seven City Councilor Neil Kinnon, who has served as chair of the Council’s Public Safety for seven years and is the former Malden Fire Commissioner, said, “In my years as (public safety) chair I have not seen a decline (in the numbers) like this. Excellent news.”
The largest segment drop in what NIBRS calls Part B offenses, was nearly 53 percent. These crimes include such offenses as disorderly conduct, trespassing, liquor law violations and driving under the influence of liquor.
Overall, arrests also substantially dropped in Malden in 2016, nearly 33 percent, with 717 in 2016 compared to 1,066 in 2015.
More (and the most) major crimes, registered in Part A, also dropped, by 21 percent overall. There was one homicide in Malden in 2016 and also one in 2015. The category also includes armed and unarmed robbery, burglary, and sex offenses.
Another slightly positive statistic was a drop in drug overdoses reported in 2016 (122) from 2015 (126) as well as fewer fatal overdoses in 2016 (eight), than in 2015, when there were 11. In the past two years there have been major efforts both locally, regionally and nationally to address drug addiction and results such as overdoses and fatalities.
