The Police Department prepares a report on crime each month known as the “Uniform Crime Report.” This report is submitted to the Department of Justice by every law enforcement agency, and the numbers are then used for statistical comparisons by agency and type of crime.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation chose seven of the most serious offenses to comprise a Crime Index. These offenses are known as “Part One” crimes, and include homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, theft/larceny, and auto theft.

Through the proactive efforts of the entire Police Department and through the support of the community, Manhattan Beach has experienced a measurable drop in several areas of crime over the past five years.

Violent Crime
Homicide, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault are considered violent crimes. In 2009, the City saw a 13% increase in violent crimes from 2008. In the past five years, the City has seen a 19% decrease in violent crimes. 

Property Crime
Property crimes include theft/larceny, burglary, and motor vehicle theft.  Overall, the community had a property crime increase of less than 1%.

In virtually every community, larceny/theft represents the highest percentage of Part One crimes. In Manhattan Beach, it represents 73% of Part One crime occurrences. Larceny is defined as the unlawful taking, carrying, leading, or riding away of property that belongs to someone else. Pick-pocketing, shoplifting, theft of objects from within a vehicle, theft of motor vehicle parts, bicycle theft, theft from buildings, theft from coin operated machines, and all other larcenies are included. In 2009, incidents of larceny decreased by 2.5%. Theft from vehicles makes up the largest percentage of larceny occurrences at 35%, followed by shoplifting at 29%.

Because Manhattan Beach has a reputation for being a safe community, it is easy for residents to let their guard down. The Police Department will continue its outreach efforts to educate residents and work with the community to reduce the potential for theft.

For tips on reducing your risk of theft from vehicles, please view our press releases.  For other crime prevention tips, please visit the Crime Prevention Bureau website.