Maine Crime Down, Pharmacy Robberies Hit New High

Maine’s crime rate fell slightly in 2012, but robberies showed a sharp increase because of the record number of pharmacy robberies.

The Department of Public Safety announced Wednesday that overall crime fell by 1 1/2 percent during the year, but that robberies rose by 14 percent. Commissioner John Morris attributed the increase to the 56 pharmacy robberies. Without the pharmacy robberies, the robbery category would have gone down.

Officials say aggravated assaults and burglaries were down by 5 percent, car theft by 8 percent and rape by 6 percent.

Domestic violence reports rose by 5 percent, and juvenile arrests went up by around 1 percent.

Authorities say Maine’s rate for violent crime is about one offense per 1,000 people, compared to the national rate of four offenses per 1,000 people.