Photo: Ajax9 / iStock / Getty Images
Durham, North Carolina has experienced significant decreases in both violent and property crime during 2025, according to the Durham Police Department's newly released fourth quarter crime report.
The report shows violent crime fell by 16.9% compared to 2024, with notable decreases in aggravated assaults (down 21.5%) and robberies (down 9.2%). While homicides remained flat at 39 cases, rape incidents decreased by 10.2%.
Property crime also saw improvement with an overall drop of 3.8%. Motor vehicle thefts decreased by 14.2% and burglaries fell by 8.9%, while larceny showed a slight decrease of 0.8%.
One of the most significant improvements came in case clearance rates. Durham police cleared 89.7% of homicide cases, well above the FBI's 2024 national average. Robbery and burglary clearance rates also improved year over year.
"The department noted that firearms remain a leading factor in violent incidents: roughly half of robberies and more than half of aggravated assaults involved a firearm," according to earlier reporting from Citizen Portal on the city's third-quarter statistics.
The police department has made these gains despite ongoing staffing challenges. At the end of 2025, the department had filled 74.8% of sworn positions and 92.4% of non-sworn roles. However, resignations decreased compared to the previous two years, suggesting improving retention.
During a presentation to the city council earlier in the year, Durham Police highlighted that through September 2025, the city had seized 654 firearms. Council members requested additional data on juvenile involvement in crimes, with the department reporting aggravated assaults involving children as young as 11 and homicides with suspects as young as 14.
City leaders emphasized the human impact behind these statistics and discussed the need for prevention and intervention strategies, including better housing and services for at-risk populations alongside public safety measures.