According to figures assembled under the Uniform Crime Reporting program (UCR), the overall rate of reported crime in Alaska grew by only 7 per cent from 1988 through 1997. This rise over a decade was not steady: the growth pattern (Figure 1) indicates that the steepest rise in the rate occurred at the beginning of the decade and that since 1995 there has been a slight drop. The total number of offenses reported for the state in 1988 under the FBI’s UCR program was 25,248 (Table 1). In 1997, that total was 32,110. These figures translate into a rate of 4922 crimes per 100,000 population in 1988 and 5273 per 100,000 in 1997—an increase of 7 per cent overall.
Violent crime increased to a greater extent than property crime over the decade, but in total numbers is much less common. In 1988, 2,682 violent offenses were reported to the FBI, and in 1997, 4270. (The FBI category of violent offenses includes murder, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault.) In 1988, the rate of violent crime per 100,000 was 523 while in 1997, that rate was 701—an increase of 34 per cent.
Property crime increased to a lesser degree but in actual numbers continues to be more common than violent crime. (The FBI category of property crime includes burglary, larceny-theft and motor vehicle theft). In 1988, 22,566 property offenses were reported. In 1997, this total was 27,840. Property crime occurred at a rate of 4,399 per 100,000 population in 1988; in 1997, the rate was 4,571—an increase of only 4 per cent.
