ROANOKE (WSLS 10) - New numbers show crime dropping in the Roanoke Valley.
The recently released Virginia State Police Uniform Crime Report shows the total number of incidents dropped across four police departments in the valley.
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The report is compiled based on numbers reported by police and sheriff's departments across the Commonwealth. They do not include convictions.
From 2013-2014, Roanoke saw crime drop 12.5 percent, from 12,742 incidents to 11,155. Over the same time period, crime dropped 12.7 percent in Salem, 20 percent in Vinton and 1.2 percent in Roanoke County.
2014 UNIFORM CRIME REPORT (begins on page 81)
"We're very pleased, we like what we see," Roanoke City Police Deputy Chief Tim Jones. "It's a 10 year trend. We understand that we can't stop, we have to remain vigilant. The community has responded well along with the police department."
Jones said over the last decade Roanoke crime has dropped 29 percent.
Statewide, violent crime rose slightly, increasing one percent. Violent crime includes rape, assault and murder among others.
The Roanoke Valley also saw an improvement in individual categories. In Roanoke, murders and voluntary manslaughter dropped from nine in 2013 to two in 2014. Salem went from two in 2013 to zero last year.
Roanoke County and Vinton saw a slight increase, with each community going from zero to one.
These numbers show a community becoming safer. It's a tool Roanoke City Economic Development Director Wayne Bowers uses to sell companies on the region.
"Public safety is important to the businesses, their operations, but also to the workers who work in the business," Bowers said. "They want to be in a safe community and a community that shows a commitment to reducing the crime rate."
The next gauge on crime is expected to come in November, when the FBI releases its own report on crime nationwide.