VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate presented new crime data to City Council Tuesday night. Among the highlights, police say Virginia ABC stores have become a major target for thefts in the city over the past 9 months, but great strides have been made to reduce violent crime as well.
Data from January 1st to September 30th shows that Virginia Beach saw an increase in thefts, including burglaries, motor vehicle thefts, and larcenies.
One pivotal finding was that thefts at the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority, better known as Virginia ABC, surged the most.
"So, when we look at all other thefts, we will see that we're up 150 offenses from where we were last year,” said Chief Neudigate.
That’s why Chief Neudigate believes it’s time for the General Assembly to do something about it.
"We have been in touch with our peers and other cities. We feel that this is a VABC problem,” Chief Neudigate said. “And we would like the General Assembly to put this where we think this belongs, which is in their purview.”
When you look at the overall rate of violent crime in the city, Virginia Beach police say it's down 15.3% from 2023, and that number is even lower compared to the previous three years.
"We can't thank our courts enough, because when we do get those good convictions and they look at the severity of some of these offenses, we believe that they're handing out the right sentences," Chief Neudigate goes on to say.
It is major headway city leaders say they’re proud of; with investments around public safety, including a new police headquarters and surveillance cameras.
"If you ever take a tour of the new building and just see the intelligence that's being used to nip things in the bud,” said Virginia Beach Mayor Booby Dyer.
“I think the other remarkable thing is, we had a problematic establishment on Atlantic Avenue a couple of years ago,” Mayor Dyer stated. “We bought it and turned it into a substation, and since then, the crime stats have dropped the Oceanfront significantly."
"This report is just incredible,” said Virginia Beach Councilwoman Rosemary Wilson. “It's paying off for our citizens so that they can feel safer."
Chief Neudigate says these investments send a clear message that violent crimes in the city of Virginia Beach will not be tolerated.
"So when we look at addressing violent crime, we really have a lot of team members that focus on it, and we asked those individuals to focus on violent crime," said Chief Neudigate. "I think the numbers speak for themselves, but I thank my team and the OCA."