The weakened economy has helped cause a 21 percent increase in the number of burglaries in D.C. from last year, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.
The number of burglaries rose from the 761 reported in April 2007 to 922 in April 2008. Capitol Hill and areas of D.C. east of the Anacostia River saw the largest increases, according to The Post.
Most crimes occur during the day or when the property is otherwise unoccupied, Assistant Metropolitan Police Department Chief Diane Groomes told The Post.
However, the number of other violent crimes in the area is decreasing. The number of homicides has fallen by 11 percent. This difference is directly related to the economy, Chuck Wexler, executive director of the D.C. Police Executive Research Forum, told The Post.
"The reality is, there is not a clear line you can draw between unemployment and poverty and crime, but there are some types of crime - burglaries, for example - that lend themselves to fencing," he said.
-MAUREEN MCCARTY
