HAMPTON, Va. — The rise in crime is a troubling problem across Hampton Roads. City leaders and law enforcement agencies are searching for ways to combat the violence. But recent data from the Hampton Police Division shows violent crime during the first four months of the year is actually down.
On Wednesday, Hampton Police Chief Mark Talbot said there is still a lot of work to do to reduce gun violence in the city.
“We struggle from concentrations of fatal and nonfatal shootings in a few sections of our city,” said Talbot.
The mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Texas has Talbot praying for the families affected and strengthening his resolve to try to prevent a similar tragedy.
“If we wait to think about what we will do if that comes here, we’re doing do it wrong,” said Chief Talbot.
The most recent crime data for Hampton shows that from January 2021 to April 2022, there was an increase in murders and the number of arrests for people brandishing a firearm in certain neighborhoods. But according to the data, overall violent crime is down.
Talbot didn’t want to specify which areas are the most prone to violence but said the police division is trying to get numbers down in those spots.
“What works is identifying the people that we’re coming across over and over again that have illegal firearms in their hands and they’re carrying them in public spaces and finding ways to change their behavior,” said Talbot.
The chief said police can’t do it all but hopes for better collaboration with community members to stop gun violence.
“We have to do both. We have to have law enforcement that holds defenders accountable but somebody needs to be out there delivering resources to these blue neighborhoods as well,” he said.
To find the latest crime statistics for the City of Hampton can be found here.