Annual Virginia crime analysis report shows increase in violent crime for 2023

RICHMOND, Va. (WAVY) — There’s good news, bad news and alarming news with the release of the Virginia State Police’s annual statewide crime analysis report for 2023 on Tuesday.

The good? Reported homicides are down.

The bad? The violent crime rate increased slightly.

The alarming? Hate crimes are way up.

Homicides down

Although the amount of violent crimes reported has increased, the amount of homicides was found to have decreased 16.3%, with 621 reported in 2022 and 520 in 2023. Most victims and offenders were found to be younger males, with 40.6% of victims being men between the age of 18 and 34, and 48.8% of offenders being men between the age of 18 and 34.

The report also found that almost half of all homicides were committed at a home, and that firearms were used in 83.3% of homicides.

Slight rise in violent crime rate

According to the report, violent crime throughout the city increased to 207.5 crimes (per 100,000 population) in 2023 from 203 in 2022, representing an overall increase of 1.3%. Violent crime includes offenses of murder, forcible sex offenses, robbery and aggravated assault.

Hate crimes way up

The report found that hate crimes in the Commonwealth increased by 48.9% compared to 2022, with most hate crimes being racially or ethnically motivated.

Hate crimes involving a bias against religion saw the biggest percentage increase, however, with an overwhelming 177.8% increase. Of all of the reported hate crimes, 76.3% involved assault offenses or destruction/vandalism of property.

The hate crime statistics include what happened in Virginia, after the Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, unprovoked attack that started the ongoing Gaza war.

Rabbi Israel Zoberman of Temple Lev Tikvah (Heart of Hope) gave great caution about ongoing anti-Semitism and hate crimes in Virginia.

“To say, I’m shocked is of course, shocking,” Zoberman said. “It should not be here or anywhere else.”

Zoberman, stunned by the state police report on hate crimes, blames the continuing unrest in the Middle East over the last few years and predicts spiking numbers over the next year.

“With the Gaza War that has been waging for 10 months, Israel defending its very survival against radical Islam, all that together brings an anti-semetic tsunami wave, if you will,” he said.

The crime report found 271 hate crimes in 2023 with 325 victims, with the most significant percent increase from 2022 to 2023 involving bias against religion, with a 177.8% increase in that year.

“To educate, to reach out, churches, mosques, synagogues all are in it together to teach, educate,” Zoberman said. “If you touch one group adversely, then others will not be protected.”

The next largest increase, bias against race/ethnicity is up 72.2%. Most hate crimes, 66.4%, were racially or ethnically motivated.

“I’m afraid, so this is not the movement forward,” Zoberman said. “I hope that once the Gaza War is ending that people are going to come back to their senses.”

And here’s the troubling news moving forward, if the numbers are bad now, Zoberman said to just wait.

“I hope not, but I won’t be surprised,” Zoberman said. “I won’t be surprised because the war is still raging, and people use the war to attack the Jewish people and to heap more misery upon us.”

Drug arrests increased

The number of drug arrests, especially for individuals under the age of 18, also increased, with an overall 18% increase and a 51% increase for those under 18. Both crack cocaine and cocaine seizures increased by 43% and narcotics seizures increased by 42%.

Other aspects of report

Motor vehicle thefts increased in 2023 to 8%, with a reported value stolen of $203,165,572. Over 9,000 vehicles were recovered in 2023.

Burglary was found to have decreased by 3.3% in 2023, with 10,501 burglaries and attempted burglaries reported in 2023 compared with 10,860 reported in 2022, following a continuous decrease in the past decade.

The annual report provides the rates and occurrences of crimes committed in areas throughout the Commonwealth and breaks down criminal offenses and arrests by reporting agency through the use of incident-based reporting.

The full report can be found here .

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