In Connecticut, violent crime declined between 2020 and 2021 according to statistics released on Thursday by the state’s Office of Policy and Management.
The reduction in overall crime, and violent crime in particular, continues a downward trend that began prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, said Marc Pelka, an undersecretary at OPM.
“It seems that the pandemic onset accelerated trends that were already in motion in the state. It did not involve any sort of sharp upward or downward turning in the opposite direction,” Pelka said, at a presentation of the report to the state’s Criminal Justice Advisory Committee.
“Violent crime has fallen by 43% in the last decade. And 27% in the last five years and even 9% from 2020 to 2021. That leaves Connecticut’s violent crime rate at nearly half of the U.S. rate. Very positive news there,” Pelka said.
However, cities such as Hartford and New Haven saw an uptick in violent crimes.
Murders increased from 147 in 2020 to 150 in 2021. That’s due to an uptick in reported homicides in Hartford from 25 in 2020 to 34 in 2021. And in New Haven from 21 in 2020, to 25 in 2021, according to the report.
Homicides declined in the state’s other large cities of Bridgeport, Waterbury, and Stamford.
