Durham sees 10% decrease in violent crime in 2022, report finds

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Thursday afternoon, Durham Police Chief Patrice Andrews informed City Council that the city's violent crime rate fell 10% in 2022.

The full crime report details crime, clearance rates, staffing levels and more.

"We have work to do in Durham," said community advocate Donald Hughes. "I commend the Chief and the County for the work they're already doing and our Sheriff. But I think that we can't rest and we must continue to do more and make sure that folks have access to safe and affordable housing and employment, healthcare, and education -- all of those other factors that really speak to the success of a community and its people."

Hughes' comments come as Durham Police Department reported 45 homicides in 2022, down 8.2% in 2021.

Rapes increased 10.7%, finishing the year at 135 reported. Robberies increased from 531 in 2021 to 574 in 2022, and aggravated assaults saw the biggest violent crime difference, decreasing by 18.5%.

"I think any time we can get a decrease in robberies or assaults, we're definitely moving in the right direction. But at some point, we have to feel safe as a community," said retired Hillside High School drama teacher Wendell Tabb.

Tabb spoke with ABC11 just hours after the final performance of "A State of Urgency" at Hillside High School. The play, written and directed by Tabb, but performed by students, aims to address community violence on a peer-to-peer level.

"We have so many programs that talk to kids after they've already gotten in trouble. But we need more programs that are going to deal with how do you handle a conflict on a daily basis," he said.

Shooting incidents dropped by 3% and the number of people shot fell by 11% in 2021.

Of those incidents, 41 were fatal and 206 were non-fatal -- dropping 7% and 12% respectively.

It's work cut out for the entire community, according to Durham Homicide Quilt creator Sidney Brodie. He said Chief Andrews can easily become the "fall guy," but it's not just a police department responsibility.

"No one entity or no one organization or group can fix this," Brodie said. "This is something that is going to require collaboration all across the community. And I have yet to identify one group or one profession that's going to fix this problem."

To view the entire report, click here.

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