Durham Police release first quarter crime figures; increase in violent crime

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) – Durham police release their latest crime numbers as the city continues to search for solutions to gun violence.

On Wednesday night, three teenagers were injured in two shootings, including one on Ashe Street, where an entire neighborhood was riddled with bullets.

“We're going to have to respond somehow,” said Mayor Leonardo Williams. “I hope we get an office for survivor care, but that sure as hell can't be the only thing.”

Violent crime increased overall in the first quarter. But if you look more closely at the numbers, the increase was primarily due to the robbery category, according to Durham Police.

There were 18 more robberies this year than in 2023. According to DPD, some of these robberies targeted Hispanics.

The number of murders has decreased: from 14 in the same period last year to six.

The number of shootings has also dropped, from 223 to 147. Investigators say this may be partly due to the fact that ShotSpotter technology is no longer being used to dispatch officers to various incidents, but that does not necessarily mean there are fewer incidents.

The figures published on Thursday do not take into account crime over the past two weeks.

“I have to say, we've done a really good job of addressing the reasons why we couldn't keep ShotSpotter, but we don't have an answer,” Williams said.

Another focus of the DPD was property crime. This increased by almost 16%. This was mainly due to the enormous increase in car thefts: 455 in the first quarter of this year compared to around 300 last year.

Due to the ongoing wave of break-ins and thefts, the DPD filed charges against five young people on Wednesday evening.