VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Crime has decreased in Virginia Beach, according to the police chief.

During a Virginia Beach crime statistics update on Tuesday, Virginia Beach police chief Paul Neudigate said out of the almost 8,000 crimes that occurred in 2024 in the city, only around 5% were violent, and the rest were property crimes.

“We have great officers and great personnel doing wonderful work," Neudigate said. "Now, they've got a force multiplier and technology at their fingertips, and I think we are seeing the results."

Violent crimes including robbery, aggravated assault, rape, and homicides decreased about 22% in 2024 compared to the previous year. That made 2024 the lowest year for violent crime in Virginia Beach in the past five years.

“Think about that: lowest in 5 years, coming out of COVID,” Neudigate explained, “losing officers, trying to fill vacancies, officers not feeling supported, getting mixed messages to the community — I think the takeaway is that we never really felt that in Virginia Beach.”

Neudigate also said shooting incidents decreased by 49% in 2024, and out of those incidents, the city saw a total of 13 homicides, about 46% less than the previous year.

According to Neudigate, the department had 100% of every homicide cleared last year, meaning every homicide case in 2024 was completely solved.

The Virginia Beach Police Department is also working to close a staffing gap, Neudigate said. The department has 37 vacancies as of Tuesday, compared to almost 100 vacancies two years ago.

Neudigate said a lot of last year’s success is owed to determination and initiatives in the department, as well as new technology and assets like automatic license plate readers that have helped police solve crimes.