LONG BEACH : Crime Falls 5.5% in ‘94, Police Report Shows
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Gang shootings and homicides in the city dropped sharply last year after a six-year upswing, according to police statistics, which also showed a drop in the overall number of reported crimes in 1994.
Overall crime fell by 5.5% and crimes against people--including murder, manslaughter, rape, robbery and assault--decreased by 12.8%, according to a Long Beach Police Department report.
Gang homicides showed the most dramatic decline, however, falling 41% from 61 in 1993 to 36 last year. Shootings attributed to gangs dropped 26% from 313 in 1993 to 231 last year.
City officials attributed the reduction in crime to the addition of a new anti-gang program, a 48-officer increase in the police force, increased community policing efforts and a truce last summer between Asian and Latino gangs.
The overall number of homicides decreased from 137 in 1993 to 85 in 1994, the lowest in five years.
The total number of crimes was 49,681 last year, down from 52,605 in 1993.
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