With violent crime on the decline, WPD Police Chief talks end of year crime stats

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — According to the Wilmington Police violent crime was down in 2021, falling by about 16 percent. Homicides decreased by about 29 percent, with robberies and aggravated assaults down 24 and and 20 percent, respectively.

According to Police Chief Donny Williams, that fall comes from a combination of things, including the hard work of officers on the ground and the community’s help.

“Folks will call in and call someone they trust in the department and say hey, they’re over here about to do such and such, and we can get officers in that area and saturate that area and prevent it from happening in the get-go,” Williams explained.

Willaims, who strongly believes in community engagement, says walking the line between working with the community and putting violent criminals away helped last year’s crime stats decrease. And with gun violence increasing nationwide, 2022 will be no exception.

“I think that’s what the community wants us to do,” Williams said. “That is our responsibility. That’s our primary responsibility is to remove these violent criminals from the community.”

Though we saw a decrease in most violent crime, WPD did see traffic deaths and property crime go up. Williams believes this could be attributed partially to an increase in drug abuse.

According to Williams, “A lot of people that are sick from an addiction, they don’t have an endless supply of money. So, that’s why you have the catalytic converter thefts. That’s why the larcenies are up. That’s why shopliftings are up. Because people go out and they support their addictions.”

While most crime was down in 2021, Chief Williams believes Wilmington still has a ways to go. He hopes to see those numbers continue to decrease throughout 2022.

“We’re not as bad off as we could be, but I want us to be better. And it’s going to take a lot of work in the police department, the court system, the district attorney’s office, sheriff’s department. We can’t do it by ourselves. It’s going to take a community effort to do this heavy lifting.”

According to Williams, Wilmington Police responded to 13 homicide incidents last year. Three of those, including the Kidder Street shooting, are still under investigation.