Violent crime in Virginia increased slightly in 2023, according to a new report from the Virginia State Police.
The annual Crime in Virginia report breaks down crimes committed within the state based on the type of crime, location and other factors.
Overall, the state saw 20,824 violent crime offenses reported in 2023, compared to 20,549 in 2023 – a 1.3% increase. For purposes of the report, violent crimes are defined as murder/non-negligent manslaughter, forcible sex offenses, aggravated assault and robbery.
Although violent crime did see a slight increase, homicides were down significantly. There were 520 homicides reported in Virginia in 2023, as opposed to 621 the previous year. That was a decline in the homicide rate per 100,000 population from 7.14 in 2022 to 5.96 in 2023.
Forcible sex offenses and robbery also declined. The only category of violent crime that saw an increase was aggravated assault – from 13,908 reported in 2022 to 14,317 last year.
Crimes classified as hate crimes increased by 48.9% in 2023 compared to the previous year, the report stated. There were 271 hate crime incidents, with 325 individual victims. Most hate crimes reported were assault or intimidation, followed by vandalism of property. Additionally, victims were categorized as businesses or religious organizations.
Locally, the jurisdiction with the highest rate of crime per 100,000 was the City of Franklin, which ranked second highest in the state after the City of Norton. Franklin’s relatively low population of only 7,987 likely contributes to its high rate per capita.
Portsmouth had the eighth-highest crime rate per capita in the state, followed by Emporia. Newport News, Norfolk and Hampton were all in the top 15, with Chesapeake and Suffolk just outside the top 20. Virginia Beach ranked 37th.
In raw numbers, however, localities with high populations ranked closer to the top, with Virginia Beach ranked second with 22,306 crimes, second to Fairfax County, which had more than twice as many. Norfolk, Chesapeake, Newport News, Hampton and Portsmouth were all in the top 12.
Statewide, drug arrests increased by 18%, and the number of arrestees who were under the age of 18 rose by 51%.
Also, on the rise were motor vehicle thefts, and attempted thefts, which increased by 8% from 2022. During 2023, 15,320 motor vehicle thefts were reported, 34% of which were stolen from the victim's residence. About 9,113 stolen vehicles were recovered in 2023, although some of them may have been stolen in previous years, the report stated.
Fraud grew by 2.7%, and nearly a quarter of fraud victims were over 65 years old.
One category of crime that decreased, however, was burglary. Burglary offenses decreased by 3.3%. Other than a slight increase in 2022, burglaries have trended downward consistently for a decade, Virginia State Police said.
The Crime in Virginia report also reports crimes by weapons used. Of the violent crimes with known weapons used, firearms were used in 83.3% of homicides, 43.1% of robberies and 34.4% of aggravated assault cases.
In 2022, Attorney General Jason Miyares launched Operation Ceasefire in Virginia, intending to address violent criminal activity among serious and repeat offenders through partnerships that invest in gang prevention and support community policing. The program specifically focuses on 13 cities statewide, including Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake and Emporia.
You can read the full Crime in Virginia report here.