WASHINGTON, June 3 (UPI) -- Violent crime edged up in the United States in 2012 but the number of property crimes was nearly unchanged, the FBI said Monday.
In its preliminary report on Uniform Crime Reporting statistics for last year, the agency said the number of violent crimes climbed 1.2 percent, while the number of property crimes fell 0.8 percent.
The report, based on data supplied by 18,000 law enforcement agencies across the country, found western states had the largest overall increase in violent crimes, 3.3 percent, compared to 2011. The only decrease, 0.6 percent, was in the Northeast.
Property crimes were up 5.2 percent in the West, as were motor vehicle thefts (10.6 percent).
The Northeast was also the only region where all forms of violent crimes decreased. Murders were down 4.4 percent and robberies declined 1.4 percent, while rapes and aggravated assaults were down fractionally.
Cities with populations between half a million and a million saw the largest increase in violent crime, 3.7 percent, the report said.
The final report is due out later this year.
