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A mid-year report shows that the Harlingen Police Department has seen a decrease in criminal activity since 2011.

Recently compiled information shows that there has been a 20 percent decrease in violent crimes, a 19 percent decrease in property crime and a 19 percent decrease in overall Uniform Crime Reports (UCR).

UCR criminal offenses are divided into Part I and Part II categories.

Part I offenses are more severe and include rape, aggravated assault, murder and robbery.

Part II offenses consist of curfew offenses, loitering, embezzlement, forgery and counterfeiting, disorderly conduct, driving under the influence, drug offenses, vandalism and weapons offenses.

The department has added emphasis on police partnering with the community, and have utilized strategies such as Predictive Analytics, Geographical Policing Strategic Analysis to help better serve the area.

They have also used Data Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety (DDACTS) to reduce crime and traffic violations.

“I attribute our successes to the hard work and dedication of all the men and women of the Harlingen Police Department,” said Chief Tom Whitten. “Certainly we are all beneficiaries of significantly increased police-community partnerships.”