The first year of the COVID-19 pandemic brought a spike in crime to Holmes Beach.
The Holmes Beach Police Department reported 50 crimes in 2020, a 19% increase over the 42 reported in 2019, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
The spike coincides with an increase in calls the HBPD received for service, from 10,841 in 2019 to 11,360 in 2020, as well as an increase in arrests, from 326 to 379.
Of the crimes reported in 2020, there were 36 cases of larceny, nine burglaries, four aggravated assaults and one vehicle theft.
There were no reported cases of murder, rape or robbery.
Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer told The Islander Nov. 4 that the coronavirus pandemic may have led to an increase in aggravated assaults — there were none in 2019 before increasing to four in 2020.
The four aggravated assaults make up half of the eight-crime difference between 2019 and 2020.
“When you’re cooped up, then you might reach out in a different way than if you were not,” the chief said.
Tokajer added that the trend was continuing into 2021, with 12 aggravated assaults recorded through October.
Otherwise, he downplayed the increase in crime, saying several burglary and larceny cases were preventable. He reminded residents and visitors to lock their bicycles, vehicles and homes whenever possible.
Despite reporting 26 more crimes than Bradenton Beach, Holmes Beach features a lower crime rate per 100,000 people, 1,277.8, than its southern neighbor, 2,020.2, due to its larger population.
Holmes Beach had 3,913 residents in 2020, almost four times that of the 1,188 residents in Bradenton Beach the same year.
The HBPD also reported a higher clearance rate per 100 offenses — the number of arrests made per 100 criminal incidents — than the BBPD, at 20 and 16.7.
Both clearance rates are low for the county, with only the Longboat Key Police Department reporting a lower rate at eight arrests per 100 offenses.
The Palmetto Police Department recorded the highest clearance rate in the county, with 48.8 arrests per 100 offenses.
The FDLE’s annual report does not include statistics for Anna Maria, which is policed by the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.