Overall crime is down in Flagler County, but violent crime is up in many categories.
- Flagler County crime up in rape, aggravated assault, burglaries and stolen vehicles in 2015
- The county had one murder in 2015
- Accord the state, murder, rape, aggravated assault and motor vehicle theft up in 2015
According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's Uniform Crime Report, the rates of rape, aggravated assault, burglaries and stolen vehicles all increase in 2015. There was also one murder in the county, up from zero in 2014.
Flagler County’s sheriff says his deputies have managed to keep the crime rate low for a long time. And despite increases in key categories, the overall crime rate is still down .6 percent.
Sheriff Jim Manfre says part of the problem is population growth.
"As you grow, the community, you have the more people. There are younger people coming to the community, crime goes up," said Manfre.
Manfre said the county’s population has grown by about 10 percent in the last four years.
The sheriff said whenever they start to see a spike in crime in specific areas, they flood the zones with patrols.
Manfre said to help cut down on at least the burglaries, residents need to lock up cars and homes and be vigilant about reporting anything you see wrong.
The sheriff said they monitor crime reports weekly.
Statewide, crime is also up in several categories, although overall crime is down 1.6 percent.
In 2015, the crime rates rose in the following categories:
- Murder: 5.7 percent
- Rape: 6.1 percent
- Fondling: 2.0 percent
- Aggravated Assault: 3.9 percent
- Motor vehicle Theft: 12.4 percent
The report also breaks down domestic violence-related crime by category. Overall, domestic violence-related crime is up .5 percent.
The crime rate is down in robbery, burglary and larceny.