MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – Violent crimes like robberies, assualts and murders have declined by 17 percent in Myrtle Beach over the past year, and Myrtle Beach police say a lot of it is thanks to new technology.
“We have deployed over 800 cameras throughout the city; we also have the license plate readers throughout there monitoring traffic 24 hours a day. We’ve also put our real time crime analysts out there that are able to look at the cameras, monitor the reports and analyze that data,” Lt. Bryan Murphy with the Myrtle Beach Police Department said.
Myrtle Beach police also credits increased patrols in more crime-ridden areas like around Ocean Boulevard, for the drop in violent crime.
“A lot of that has to do with the saturation details we put out there, working with our law enforcement partners to put more officers out on the street and have a better presence,” Murphy said.
The number of thefts and motor vehicle thefts saw the most significant drops from 2017 to 2018. Thefts went from 3,633 in 2017, to 2,891 the following year. The number of motor vehicle thefts dropped from 343 to 260 in that same time.
However, human trafficking and homicides both went up slightly.
The department says there is only so much it can do to control violent crime, but will continue working to keep it on the decline.
“The crime rates will go up and down based on a lot of factors. What we like to do is keep those on the decrease by deploying our assets in the proper way,” Murphy said.
For the Myrtle Beach Police Department’s full report of violent crime rates in the city, click here.
