Lewiston police say the city’s crime rate took a sizable jump in the first six months of this year, though there is no clear reason why.
The total number of offenses recorded January through June was 1,170, up 17.5 percent from the first half of last year.
Crimes against people were up 31.2 percent; crimes against society were up 26.9 percent; and crimes against property were up 12 percent.
There have been no murder cases in the first six months of this year, after there were two last year. Seven rapes were reported last year, and two so far in 2012.
Drugs and narcotics arrests are up at least in part because the department assigned two officers to work those cases instead of just one. Theft of narcotics, personal prescriptions, from homes and cars, also is a growing problem.
