LUMBERTON — Robeson County is no longer No. 1 in property, violent and overall crime rates in the state after having that unenviable distinction for several years.

According to annual reports by the State Bureau of Investigation, the county was No. 1 in the state from 2014 through 2017 in property and overall crime rates per 100,000 people. The county also led the state in 2014, 2015, 2017 in violent crime rates and was No. 2 in 2016.

In 2018, Robeson County ranked fifth highest in the state in overall crime with 4,226.7 per 100,000 people. Richmond, at 4,719.1 per 100,000 people, led the state, followed by Durham and Scotland counties. The decline for Robeson County from 2017 to 2018 was 28.2%.

Robeson County ranked sixth in 2018 in property crimes, which include burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft, with 3,541.8 per 100,000 people. Richmond County was No. 1 in the state with 4,239.7 crimes for every 100,000 people, followed by Durham and Mecklenburg,

Robeson County in 2018 ranked fifth in the rate of violent crimes, murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault, with 684.9 per 100,000 people. Scotland County was No. 1 at 805.1, followed by Durham, Cumberland and Vance counties.

The reports are based on data from law enforcement agencies across the state provided the SBI. The police departments in Red Springs, Parkton and Pembroke did not provide information for the 2018 report, according to Anjanette Grube, SBI public information director.

Sheriff Burnis Wilkins, who took office in December 2018, said he welcomes the trend, and is working to make sure it continues.

“We are pleased to see that we are no longer No. 1 for the wrong reasons as it pertains to crime stats,” Wilkins said.

He attributes the improvement to actions taken by the Sheriff’s Office.

“We picked up where the previous sheriff left off and began an even more aggressive yet professional approach of fighting crime and also crime reporting to have even more accurate statistics,” Wilkins said.

The Sheriff’s Office will continue to target drug activity in the county with the hopes that the downward trend in crime rates will continue, he said.

“Drugs are the leading cause of violent crimes and property crimes in our county,” the sheriff said.

The Sheriff’s Office’s Drug Enforcement Division conducts surveillance and answers calls solely related to drug activity across the county. The division is made up of 10 detectives that serve on the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Homeland Security task forces.

The Community Impact Team also was formed to target areas of high drug activity. The team is made up of six deputies trained in Special Weapons and Tactics who focus on complaints such as drug dwellings, prostitution, and street crimes, Wilkins said.

“We are committed to lowering crime in Robeson County and utilizing every resource we can to combat it,” he said.

According to a SBI preliminary report covering January to June 2019, law enforcement agencies across the U.S. saw a decrease of 3.1% in the number of violent crimes when compared with the same period in 2018. Property crimes in the United States also decreased 5.6% during the same time period.

The 2019 report is not yet completed.

Wilkins
https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/web1_burnis-wilkins-2-1-1.jpgWilkins

Jessica Horne

Staff writer

Reach Jessica Horne at 910-416-5165 or via email at [email protected]