Crime in Cambridge is at a 40 year low a new analysis from the Cambridge Police Department shows. As a first result of its new BridgeStat program, a program the Cambridge Police describe as a "multilayered dynamic approach to crime reduction, quality of life improvement, and personnel and resource management", the Police Department have provided a comprehensive review of crime trends over the last 4 decades.

In 2009, there were 449 reported incidents of violent crime. A 58% percent drop from its peak in 1990, this is the second lowest number in 40 years. Property crimes were reported 3121 times in 2009, a 68% drop from its peak in 1974, and the lowest in 40 years. These declines continued through the first half of 2010, with a 17% decline of violent crime and a 6% decline in property crime.

With no murders in the first half of 2010, Cambridge has now gone 13 months without a murder. Overall, robberies have declined 38%. The 47 street robberies and the 10 commercial robberies represent a 35% and and 48% decline over the average of the previous 5 years. There have been 16 rapes reported in the first half of 2010, representing a 12% increase. Cambridge Police caution that, while these are preliminary statistics representing incidents where rape was alleged, there have been no stranger-to-stranger rapes reported in the first six months of 2010. The reports are of incidents where the victim had a prior acquaintance with the perpetrator or the incident was considered domestic in nature.

Property crime was down 6% for the first half of 2010, with auto theft at its lowest in the last half century. Bicycle theft, however, is on the rise, with a 54% increase over the average for the same period in the previous 5 years. Locks, the Police Department states, present little deterrent to thieves, with nearly half the 148 bicycle thefts involving locked bikes. While, overall, larceny is down 3%, larceny from a person has increased 17%. These crimes typically involve a pickpocket and are crimes of opportunity that can be prevented. The Police state that the increase has been most notable in Harvard Square cafes and restaurants and urge citizens to not leave personal property unattended or on the backs of chairs while you dine. These crimes, often perpetrated by professionals, continue despite numerous arrests.

BridgeStat is a work in progress and will be a source of continuing reports on the state of crime in the City of Cambridge. Detailed analytic reports can be found at http://www.cambridgema.gov/CPD/publication/crime_2010.cfm and feedback is invited at BridgeStat@CambridgePolice.org