Davidson County Sheriff David Grice attributes the 6 percent decrease in the crime rate for the county in 2006 to a very active group of officers, better internal communication and joint work with other law enforcement agencies.

The county reported 2,232 crimes in 2006, compared to 2,377 in 2005, according to the annual summary report of 2006 uniform crime reporting data released Thursday by the State Bureau of Investigation.

Grice said there has been an active group of officers patrolling throughout the day as well as the night. Having a tactical unit ready at all times also helps contribute to the decrease in the crime rate.

"We've been having very good work from our officers," Grice said. "The detectives have been very productive."

Although the county saw a decrease in the number of property crimes, the number of violent crimes rose slightly.

The county reported 179 violent crimes, an increase from 173 in 2005. Violent crimes are robbery, aggravated assaults, rapes and murders.

There were 150 aggravated assaults in 2006 compared to 146 in 2005. There were two more robberies reported, 25 compared to 23. The were two murders last year compared to one in 2005.

One of the other four categories of violent crime fell from 2005 to 2006. The county had two rapes compared to three the previous year.

Grice said he considered the number of violent crimes steady because it wasn't a significant increase. He said having checkpoints has helped catch a lot of people.

The property crime rate declined with 2,053 incidents reported in 2006 compared to 2,204 in 2005.

The three categories under the property crime rate dropped: burglaries, larcenies and motor vehicle thefts. The number of arsons stayed the same at 16.

Grice said having patrol units driving around stops a lot of people from breaking and entering into homes and cars.

"That's a good thing," he said.

There were a total of 157 burglaries reported compared to 166, and 213 motor vehicle thefts took place last year compared to 265 the year before. In 2006, the county reported 1,683 larcenies, another decrease from 2005, which was 1,773.

Grice said the biggest factor for the decrease is regular collaboration with Lexington City Police, North Carolina Highway Patrol and neighboring law enforcement agencies from other counties.

"We have a great joint effort," he said. "This communication flow greatly enhances our ability to combat crime."

Statewide, the total number of crimes rose 0.6 percent in 2006, up for the first time since 2001. The number of violent crimes for the state rose 0.9 percent, and the number of property crimes reported increased 0.5 percent.

Deneesha Edwards can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 213, or at deneesha.edwards@the-dispatch.com.