By Scott Harvey
Royse City – The Royse City Police Department has released its crime statistics for the 2008 calendar year.
Crime was up overall for the year. Royse City Police Chief Tom Shelton believes the increase stems from a shorthanded number of officers, the result of a major shortfall in the City's budget that led to several job dismissals.
Overall, 329 part one offenses were reported in 2008, compared to 271 in 2007. Part one offenses include homicide, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, theft and auto theft. The most notable increase came in thefts, with 150 reported last year, compared to 91 the year before.
There were no homicides in the City in 2008, the same case as 2007. Zero robberies were reported in 2007, but four occurred last year. Reported assaults decreased from 148 to 128 last year, burglaries were up slightly and there were five more auto thefts in 2008 than the previous year.
Chief Shelton hopes the New Year can bring additional support to his police force, helping to better prevent crime in the City.