Violent crime on the rise according to Virginia annual report for 2022

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Crime is increasing in almost every sector, according to a comprehensive report released by Virginia State Police on Friday, June 9.

The report provides statewide crime statistics for the entirety of 2022, breaking down offenses to identify trends in Virginia.

According to the report, violent crime in Virginia — including murder, forcible sex offenses, robbery and aggravated assault — increased from 16,823 offenses in 2021 to 17,655 offenses in 2022 — an overall increase of 4.9%.

According to the report, the number of reported homicides in Virginia increased from 562 to 621 from 2021 to 2022 — a 10.5% increase. Victims and offenders of these crimes tended to be younger males — men between 18 and 34 were 42.7% of homicide victims and 52.2% of homicide offenders.

Of the known weapons reported in violent crimes, firearms were used in 81.6% of homicides and 44.6% of robberies in 2022. Firearms were also used in 37.5% of aggravated assault cases.

Vehicle thefts and attempted thefts increased by 21.9% last year, according to the report. In 2022, there were 14,185 motor vehicles reported stolen — the reported value of which was over $201 million.

Reported burglaries and attempted burglaries increased marginally — by 3.8% in 2022 — the first increase for Virginia in over a decade. In 2021, there were 10,464 burglaries and attempted burglaries compared to 10,860 burglaries in 2022, according to the report.

Fraud offenses increased by 9.9% from 2021 to 2022. According to the report, 22.5% of fraud victims were over 65 years old.

There were 182 hate crime incidents reported in Virginia in 2022. According to the report, hate crimes increased by 48% compared to 2021. Around 63.6% of these crimes were racially or ethnically motivated — 21.5% were motivated by sexual orientation and 9.2% were motivated by religion. Of all incidents reported, 75.1% were assault offenses or damage to property.

Drug arrests decreased by 8.8% in 2022, according to the report. However, there was an increase in the number of suspects under 18 years old. Arson, bribery and prostitution were the only other crime sectors to see a marginal decrease between 2021 and 2022.

Virginia State Police served as the primary collector of the crime data for the report. The data was collected from participating state and local police departments and sheriff’s offices. The full report can be read on the Virginia State Police website.