Crime rates mostly down in Tampa Bay area

Crimes handled by Tampa and Clearwater police and by the Hillsborough and Pinellas county sheriff's offices fell the first six months of this year, the state announced Tuesday. But crimes in St. Petersburg rose.

The figures, compiled by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, compare a six-month period this year with the same time frame last year. Countywide, crime dropped an average of 8.6 percent in Hillsborough and 0.9 percent in Pinellas.

"Florida is on its way to a 43-year crime low, and the news that crime is down by more than 8 percent in Hillsborough means communities are safer for families," Gov. Rick Scott said in a statement.

Figures show crime dropped 1.1 percent for the Sheriff's Office in Pinellas and 9.4 percent for the agency in Hillsborough; 9.3 percent for Tampa and 6.6 percent for Clearwater. The rate rose 6.2 percent for St. Petersburg.

Statewide, the crime rate dropped 5.2 percent.