Provo • Statistics show violent and property crimes are down in Utah, but the number of sexual assaults increased again last year.
Figures from the Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification released Wednesday show crime dropped overall by more than 5 percent from the prior year, the Daily Herald reported .
Violent crimes overall dropped by 8 percent in 2017, with the number of homicides decreasing by 2.6 percent and aggravated assaults falling by 14.6 percent, according to the data compiled from reports submitted by 130 law enforcement agencies from across the state.
The number of rapes, however, jumped by 11 percent last year, continuing an upward trend from the previous four years. More than a third of those arrested on rape-related charges last year were between the ages of 10 and 19, according to the report.
In the 75 homicides reported last year, 59 percent involved gun use, according to the report. Nearly 24 percent of the homicides involved family relationships.
There was also a rise in hate crime last year, increasing from 57 crimes reported in 2016 to 75 across the state.
About $130 million in property was stolen last year, with about $45 million of it eventually recovered, according to the report.
