Dover Police release record breaking crime stats in annual report

According to an annual report released Tuesday, the city of Dover had a record breaking number of homicides in 2015.

There were seven homicides in 2015 compared to two in 2014. That’s a two-hundred and fifty percent increase.

Dover Police are tying illegal drugs to the increase in these numbers as well as their rise in violent crimes. Because of this, they reinstated their street crimes unit last year where five officers hit the streets day in and day out.

Cpl. Mark Hoffman says, “They’re targeting specific violations that are pertaining to the drug trade and weapons as well. They’ve performed very well. We’ve seized about a dozen weapons off the street this year alone.”

According to the report, the street crimes unit last year broke the record of gun seizures from 2014. So far this year there have not been any homicides in the city of Dover. 

Several other statistics are provided in the annual report. For example, in 2015 the city experienced a thirty-four percent drop in robberies. To view the report in it’s entirety click here.