Violent crimes in Chesterfield Township and New Baltimore in 2011 overall were lower than the previous year, according to recently released FBI statistics.

Compared to 2010, there were less instances of rape, robbery, property crimes, burglaries and motor vehicle thefts in New Baltimore and Chesterfield Township in 2011, the data shows. 

Aggravated assault went slightly up in Chesterfield and there was one case of arson in New Baltimore in 2011 compared to none in 2010. But overall, the figures show there were less cases of serious crimes across the board.

New Baltimore Police Chief Tim Wiley said he expects 2012 crime stats to be comparable to last year. Wiley cited unemployment rates and substance abuse problems among criminals as reasons for previous spikes in crimes, such as property damage and thefts. He also noted that the community and Macomb County as a whole have experienced tremendous population growth in the past several years.

"I would anticipate that we’re definitely going to see a similar trend that we’re at right now in term of it leveling off," he said, noting a slight uptick in employment rates.

New Baltimore gained residents in 2011, with a total of 12,075 compared to 11,701 the previous year. Meanwhile, Chesterfield's total population was reported at 45,027 in 2010, which decreased to 43,348 in 2011, the figures show. Chesterfield Township police could not immediately be reached for comment.

FBI Crime Data for 2011

2011 continued

FBI Crime data for 2010

2010 continued