Violent Crime Up in Oceanside, But Lower Countywide

Violent crime in Oceanside rose by 5 percent in the first half of 2013, though countywide it was at the second lowest level in 10 years, SANDAG reported Thursday.

The report showed Oceanside had 4.10 violent crimes per 1,000 residents, up from 3.90 in the same period last year and above the current countywide average of 3.46.


There were a total of 347 violent crimes in Oceanside in the first half of the year, including seven homicides, 22 rapes and 91 robberies.

Countywide a total of 5,431 violent crimes – homicides, rapes, robberies, and aggravated assaults – were reported to local law enforcement between January and June 2013. That’s an average of 30 per day, compared to almost 32 per day during the first six months of 2012, SANDAG reported.

SANDAG said the rate per 1,000 residents was the second lowest in a decade.

”The turnaround in violent crime is positive news for the San Diego region. We know from our work with our law enforcement partners that even in the era of shrinking budgets, they have continued to direct resources to fight the most serious crimes,” said Dr. Cynthia Burke, SANDAG's Criminal Justice Research Director.

Oceanside's property crime rate also rose, by 18 percent to 26.44 per 1,000 residents. This was higher than the countywide rate of 22.28 crimes per 1,000 presidents.

There were 299 burglaries and 189 vehicle thefts in Oceanside in the first six months of the year.

Countywide there were a total of 35,012 property crimes, including 6,921 burglaries and 5,652 vehicle thefts, SANDAG said.

The San Diego Association of Governments the region’s primary public planning, transportation, and research agency. It is a joint effort by the region’s 18 cities and the county government.