Crime in Manchester Spiked in 2012, Fell in 2013, Report Says

A spike in burglaries and attempted burglaries led to a one-year spike in Manchester Township's crime rate, according to data released by State Police as part of the annual Uniform Crime Report (UCR).

Manchester saw a total of 199 break-ins or attempted break-ins through all of 2012, the most recent verified data released by police, a nearly 50-percent jump from 2011's total of 134.

The biggest jump came in attempted forced break-ins, according to the UCR—there were 74 in 2012, compared to just 25 the year before—while successful forced entries were up by about a third, from 43 in 2011 to 58 in 2012.

A jump in assaults, to 19 in 2012 from 13 in 2011, also helped fuel the overall increase in crime—Manchester's total was up just over 11 percent in 2012, from 513 total crimes to 571.

But it appears to be just a one-year aberration, going by the unofficial 2013 data already compiled by State Police.

Initial reports indicate Manchester's overall crime total plunged in 2013, however—and straight off a cliff.

Total crime reports in 2013—though the numbers are unofficial and not listed as verified—were down 40 percent from 2012's total, with nearly every category seeing some kind of reduction.

Those burglaries that were such a problem in 2012? They dropped by two-thirds, down to just 65 for all of 2013, with the biggest drop coming in attempted break-ins, which fell off even further than they spiked, going from 74 in 2012 to 16 in 2013.

The township also saw drops in assault and simple assault—47.4 percent and 24.5 percent, respectively—and thefts, which dropped 27.1 percent.

Though the township also saw a slight decrease overall in violent crime, according to the unofficial 2013 stats, the year did bring an uptick in robberies—four from 2012's one—and the first two murders in the township since 2002.