Charlotte’s crime rate fell to its lowest level in 30 years, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department reported Tuesday.

The decline mirrors national numbers that show crime decreasing in many of the nation’s major cities.

Overall, reported crimes in Charlotte declined 18.5 percent, with violent crime down 20.5 percent and property crime down 18.2 percent. Homicide declined to its lowest level in 21 years with 56 homicides occurring in 2009, the lowest level since 1988.

The only category that saw an increase was rape, which increased 12.4 percent. CMPD said many of those cases involved people who knew one another.

Here are the CMPD numbers by category:

• Homicide, down 32.5 percent
• Robbery, down 21.4 percent
• Aggravated Assault, down 21.8%
• Burglary, down 18.5 percent
• Larceny, down 14.7 percent (includes a 22.1 percent decrease in larceny from autos)
• Vehicle theft, down 36.7 percent
• Arson, down 24.8 percent
   

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