Crime reports are trending down on Anna Maria Island — except those from Bradenton Beach Police Department.
As they turn in 2015 numbers to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Anna Maria and Holmes Beach law enforcement officials say crime reports are declining — 24 percent and 34 percent, respectively — in 2015.
In Bradenton Beach, with a population of 1,166, crime reports are up to 19 in 2015 from 15 in 2014.
According to Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer, crime reports decreased from 146 to 96 in 2015. Holmes Beach has a population of 3,839, according to the FDLE.
In Anna Maria, with a city-data.com estimated population of 1,597, crimes reported were down in 2015 to 47 from 62 in 2014.
Police Chief Sam Speciale compiled the data for Bradenton Beach.
“We virtually have no violent crime here,” he said. “The problem we have is we get one serious crime and the crime rate goes up by 100 percent.”
Speciale described many instances of crime were “beer boogies at the convenience store.”
He also said his biggest issue is thefts from vehicles parked at the beach.
“This is one of the places you come and, for years, people don’t lock their doors. People feel a lot safer here.”
In Holmes Beach, crime was led by burglaries and theft reports in 2015 — both down from 2014.
Tokajer listed 22 residential and four business burglaries as compared to 31 burglaries to residences and one to a business in 2014.
In 2014, Tokajer initially released preliminary numbers showing 38 burglaries for the year, but later eliminated six.
In the theft category for 2015, Holmes Beach reported 64 thefts, down from 108.
HBPD numbers showed a rise in motor-vehicle theft reports, from zero to two reports.
The Holmes Beach police chief chalked up the downward trend in crimes to community awareness.
“We attribute it to our outreaches — our neighborhood watch and Officer Vern McGowin — aggressive patrolling techniques of officers and citizen partnering,” he said.
In violent crime categories, Holmes Beach had one rape report in 2015. There were no rape reports in 2014. HBPD reported aggravated assaults went from six in 2014 to three reports in 2015.
In Holmes Beach, there were no murder or robbery reports in 2014 or 2015.
For the BBPD, Detective Sgt. Lenard Diaz reported the 2015 numbers, including two aggravated assaults and no murders or robberies and one motor vehicle theft — the same numbers reported in 2014.
He reported one rape in 2015, up from none the prior year, and one burglary, down from two in 2014.
BBPD reports of thefts increased to 14 reported in 2015 from 10 in 2014. Of the theft reports, one was for shoplifting, six from vehicles and seven others.
Each year, the police departments and MCSO contribute their statistics to the FDLE as part of a statewide crime report.
The 2015 Crime in Florida report is expected to be released in the spring.