Total crime in the Penn Police patrol zone this semester was up 1 percent compared to last year's spring semester, Division of Public Safety officials said.
This spring, 256 crimes occurred, three more than last year's 253.
Total crime for the month of April is down slightly, with 74 crimes last month compared to 75 during April 2006.
Rates for most crimes remained relatively steady for the month, with total thefts seeing the biggest decrease, from 47 last year to 41 this year.
This April also saw one homicide: An alleged carjacker was shot twice and killed near 40th and Spruce streets during a struggle with a Penn Police officer on April 16.
As for the total semester, the spring term saw decreases in the number of robberies and aggravated assaults, a major point of emphasis for DPS because they are both crimes that directly endanger victims.
Vice President of Public Safety Maureen Rush said that she was happy with the numbers, especially in light of the surge of crime that has occurred recently in the rest of Philadelphia.
She cited statistics from 2006, in which overall crime increased 4 percent in Philadelphia and 12 percent in the 18th District - the area that surrounds Penn - but decreased 3 percent in the Penn patrol zone, which extending from Market Street to Baltimore Avenue and from 30th Street to 43rd Street.
Rush explained that this semester's statistics were an extension of Penn's recent success, as DPS has increased lighting and security in the area through its Operation SAFE program.
"We are cautiously optimistic that the first and second summer semesters will continue with this trend, but we are constantly vigilant," she said. "You are going to see the same high levels of police presence [this summer] that you see during the year."
This past semester, there was, however, a large jump in the number of simple assaults, which Rush said has mostly been alcohol-related incidents and a surprisingly high number of attacks on police and security officers.
She explained that while the number of simple assaults is troublesome, those types of crimes are usually isolated incidents that are difficult to prevent.
The semester also saw slight increases in thefts from automobiles and total thefts, and the number of burglaries and bike thefts both dropped slightly from last year.
A summary of crime statistics for the semester:
- Robberies are down from 20 last year to 17 this spring.
- Aggravated assaults decreased from 18 last year to five this year.
- Simple assaults saw the largest increase, with 20 this spring compared to four last year.
- Burglaries are also down, from 18 last year to 12 this year.
- Total thefts increased slightly, from 142 last year to 143 this year.
- Thefts from automobiles had the biggest jump in that category, with 33 this semester compared to 24 last spring.
- Bike thefts decreased from 20 to 17 this year.
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