Violent crime for the first two months of 2009 is slightly up compared to this time last year, but crimes against property and theft both show a significant decrease.
The total number of crimes for the year to date is also down compared to January and February 2008, from 134 to 106.
The most significant progress has been made in combating crimes against property, which have fallen from 122 in the first two months of 2008 to 90 by the end of February this year.
Within this category, burglary, bike theft and auto theft were all slightly down, while theft from buildings decreased dramatically from 67 last year to 22 this year.
The sharp decrease in theft is a result of "a combination of increased awareness among the Penn community about leaving items unattended and aggressive police work in tackling this issue," according to Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush.
She also pointed to the benefits of DPS' investment in extensive security-camera networks.
As an example, she cited a recent case in which a member of the public saw a suspect committing a theft in a University building and immediately reported his description to the police.
Penn Police were then able to identify the suspect on security cameras nearby and track his movements to a SEPTA bus, which was stopped several blocks away for police to apprehend him.
The monthly Public Safety Group meetings and a new information-sharing partnership among universities in the Delaware Valley have also helped prevent professional criminals from targeting the same areas and buildings, Rush added.
A summary of the crime statistics for the year to date compared to January and February last year:
No homicides were reported either this year or last year.
Total robberies increased from four to six.
Forcible sex offences went down from three to two.
There were three aggravated assaults, compared to two last year.
Simple assaults increased from three in 2008 to five this year.
Burglaries dropped from seven last year to six this year.
No arsons were reported in either year.
One auto theft was reported this year, compared to none last year.
Bike thefts are down from six in 2008 to two this year.
All other thefts dropped from 97 last year to 71 this year.
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