Murders and assaults in Minnesota dropped in 2024 while rapes and robberies rose, according to statistics released this week by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

The 2024 Uniform Crime Report showed that violent crime in the seven-county Metro area — Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott and Washington counties — increased by 1% overall compared to 2023. In greater Minnesota, violent crime numbers decreased by 3%.

The St. Paul Police Department handled 26 homicide incidents in 2024, the same as in 2023. So far this year St. Paul police have handled nine homicides.

The number of murders continued to fall after a spike during the pandemic. There were 170 murders in 2024 compared with 181 in 2023, 182 in 2022 and 201 in 2021. Firearms were involved in 74.7% of the incidents, up

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