Is crime on the rise in Downtown Wilmington?

Since Thursday, a murder, a sexual assualt, a stabbing and two shootings all have happened in the downtown area.

But is the spike in crime over the last few days cause for alarm?

Wilmington police statistics from the months of April and July of this year, compared to the same time last year show crime has remained about the same in most areas.

The only noticeable change is double the amount of burglaries.

Wilmington police statistics from between April and July 2006 compared to the same four month span this year show the number of murders down from 7 to 6.

There are 8 fewer drug offenses and robberies remained relatively flat.

The biggest spike seems to be in burglaries that jumped from 9 last year to 20 this year.

Police attribute that to a seasonal spike in crime.

Deputy Chief Conklin said, “Burglary particularly goes up in the summer time partly because you have more kids out, you have more people out, so you have a greater opportunity for people to get involved in criminal behavior.”

Wilmington police also say they add more officers to the streets during summer holidays, like Fourth of July.

Conklin says crime generally rises two times a year during Christmas and the summer months when more people are out on the streets.