Boston sees lowest homicide numbers since the 1950s, though shoplifting is up
BOSTON - Boston is a such a safe city that law enforcement is now seeing homicide numbers that haven't been a reality since the 1950s.
Only 24 homicides in 2024
"In the entire time that I've been a police officer, going back since I came on, the city has never been safer, period," declared Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox during a press conference on Friday.
Incidents of gunfire are down 14%, and 37% over the last five years. It's the lowest it's been since 2011 when they started tracking it consistently. To date, Boston has only seen 24 homicides on the year.
"I would think it would be higher than that," says Beth Cafarella, a Massachusetts resident, "We feel safe. We love the Common. It's a lot of people from all over the world who come here because of the attractions and the schools."
The biggest upward trend in crime is shoplifting. Cox said it is up 30% and the main catalyst to a 6% increase in commercial burglaries. If the shoplifting numbers were removed, he said commercial burglaries would actually be down 17%.
Why is violent crime so low?
Mayor Michelle Wu credits some of the city's success to transparency. She said that detailed crime data is regularly shared during public meetings, which allows informed residents to pitch ideas to law enforcement that they can then implement.
"We also see that a focus on delivering results, especially in the areas of violent crime leads to resources that can then be deployed to address quality of life issues," added Wu.
Her comment means that the lower the violent crime, the more time officers have to tackle shoplifting problems and other issues.
