Commercial Break-ins, Disorderly Conduct Calls on the Rise
The 2011 summertime crime trends, as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigations 2010 crime statistics for Danvers and surrounding communities.
In the Summer 2011 edition of the Defender, the Danvers Police Department newsletter, the summer crime analysis trends have shown an increase in commercial break-ins, disorderly conduct, and miscellaneous larceny, and a decrease in vandalism and threats.
Theft of scrap metal appears to have caused an increase in both commercial break-ins as well as miscellaneous larceny. Construction sites were noted in both instances as targeted spots for larceny.
| Incident Type | Usual Range | 2011 | Notes |
| Commercial Break | 4-8 | 14 | Significant increase noted. Few were attempts. Mostly appear to be related to scrap metal/copper thefts. Tools / construction sites also targeted. |
| Disorderly | 33-57 | 69 | Mostly due to large group gatherings in business parking lots at night. |
| Misc. Larceny | 5-11 | 15 | Some related to scrap metal, including thefts of metal from unsecured construction sites or residential areas. |
| Vandalism | 70-97 | 58 | Down 30 percent; very few graffiti. No patterns. |
| Threats | 17-28 | 9 | Down 60 percent when compared to average. Mostly domestic related. |
From June 1 through August 31, the town created a breakdown of the crimes committed in comparison to the usual range.
| Incident Type | Usual Range | 2011 |
| Robbery | 1-3 | 1 |
| Agg. Assault | 5-12 | 10 |
| Simple Assault | 35-50 | 48 |
| Housebreaks | 8-19 | 15 |
| Comm. Break | 4-8 | 14 |
| Theft from MV | 49-79 | 58 |
| Shoplifting | 56-76 | 73 |
| Auto Theft | 5-14 | 7 |
| Fraud/Forgery | 24-42 | 29 |
| Vandalism | 70-97 | 58 |
| Drugs | 13-25 | 11 |
| Disorderly | 33-57 | 69 |
| Noise Complaints | 119-169 | 111 |
| False Alarms | 386-541 | 416 |
| MV Accidents | 284-350 | 324 |
Recently the Federal Bureau of Investigations released the "Crimes in the United States" 2010 report. This is how Danvers compared to other surrounding communities:
| Town | Pop. | Vio. Crime | Mur. Mans. | Rape | Robb. | Agg. Ass. | Prop. Crime | Burg. | Larc. | MV Theft | Arson |
| Danvers | 27,165 | 46 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 32 | 964 | 108 | 822 | 34 | 1 |
| Peabody | 51,517 | 111 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 81 | 1216 | 136 | 1025 | 55 | 1 |
| Wenham | 4,705 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 33 | 3 | 27 | 3 | 0 |
| Middleton | 9,284 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 81 | 6 | 75 | 0 | 0 |
At the special Board of Selectmen Meeting held on Aug. 23 to discuss the homeless situation in Danvers, Police Chief Neil Ouellette gave a comprehensive analysis of the crime seen in motels throughout Danvers. While the number of service calls had remained consistent at Danvers motels compared to 2010, the number of crimes against persons increased from 12 to 27 percent in the past year.
For a break-down of 2010's crime in Danvers, the police department has created the 2010 Annual Report on their homepage.
