BANGOR – Figures may indicate that Bangor has one of the highest crime rates of the larger cities in Maine, but Police Chief Donald Winslow stressed to city councilors last week that the city remains one of the safest communities in the country.

“Bangor’s violent crime rate is ranked second in the country when compared to metropolitan areas of comparable size,” Winslow said, “and is three times lower than the national average.”

What sets Bangor’s crime rate above other Maine cities is the categories that involve property crime. Property crimes include burglary, theft, motor vehicle theft and arson. The statistics, compiled by the FBI through its Uniformed Crime Reporting system, indicate Bangor’s property crime rate is nearly double the national average. Bangor’s property crime rate is reported at 5,477 per 100,000 people, while the national average is much less at 3,763 property offenses per 100,000 people.

In a memo to city councilors, Winslow wrote, “Bangor’s incidents of theft are nearly twice that of the national average. It is important to note, however, that many law enforcement agencies do not file reports on minor losses, which is most likely a significant contributing factor to this statistic. To the contrary, Bangor reports all reported thefts, regardless of value.”

But according to Portland Police Deputy Chief Bill Ridge, Portland also files reports on all reported thefts, regardless of the value and its property crime rate is 4,220 per 100,000.

“It’s still very interpretive,” Winslow said. “One officer could see something as a theft, or an attempted theft and therefore report it as a theft, while another officer may report it as a criminal mischief because something was damaged but nothing was actually taken.”

Ridge agreed with Winslow, saying that UCR figures generally were more useful for departments to keep track of the crime trends in its own city rather than comparing its statistics to those of another city.

“As long as the department is always consistent then they can keep track of crime trends in their city. But as far as comparing it to another city, it doesn’t do any good because there is too much room for individual interpretation,” said Ridge.

Winslow was upset last month when he learned that some news agencies were reporting that Bangor had the highest crime rate of the three major cities in Maine.

“I really felt I needed to address this to the council so that they understood that we didn’t have some big crime trend under way here,” he said.

Bangor’s crime rate during the past 10 years has stayed stable, according to the UCR figures, this year indicated a slight overall increase from 1999.

Winslow seems almost timid to speak of the city’s violent crime rate, which continues to decrease. There has not been a homicide in the city since April 1997.

Violent crimes include murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault and of the 268 metropolitan statistical areas identified by UCR in the country, the Bangor area, with a population of 69,368, has the fifth safest violent crime rate of 112.4 per 100,000 people. The Bangor metropolitan area includes parts of Penobscot and Waldo counties.

Bismarck, N.D., with a metropolitan area of 93,177 boasts the lowest violent crime rate in the country.

In Maine, the Lewiston-Auburn area has a metropolitan area population of 103,170 and has a violent crime rate of 173.6, while Portland’s metropolitan population of 250,491 has a violent crime rate of 145.3.

Winslow said Tuesday that the most substantial increase in crime in Bangor had been in the area of theft.

“Most of that is shoplifting,” Winslow said. “And I’d like to think that some of that is due to the fact that we really encourage our store owners to report all shoplifting incidents. We put on education programs and really feel that prosecuting all shoplifting cases is a good way to deter theft.”

Figures show there were 95 more thefts in Bangor in 2000 than in 1999; 1,388 in 1999 to 1,483 in 2000.

“You also have to understand that we’re dealing with pretty small numbers here, so that any change at all can result in a pretty significant change percentage wise,” said the chief.

Winslow acknowledged that shoplifting cases had been on the increase, which he credited in part to Bangor’s continuing problems with opiate addiction.

“There certainly are a certain number of people out there that are stealing to feed their addiction,” he said.

The chief noted, however, that the opiate problem in the city appeared to be “reaching a plateau.”

“We still have a significant problem here, but things seem to be leveling off. The [Maine Drug Enforcement Agency] is not doing the same number of opiate cases here as they were a year or even six months ago. I think that’s due in large part to an aggressive educational effort and to some degree a saturation of the market,” he said.

Safety tips for holiday shoppers

Bangor Police Chief Donald Winslow offered the following tips to holiday shoppers to try to combat incidents of thefts during this busy shopping season.

1. Park in well-lit areas.

2. Avoid leaving packages on the seat or floor of the car and instead place packages in the trunk.

3. Always make sure car doors are locked.

4. Use a firm grip when carrying a purse, and avoid simply draping it over your shoulder.

5. Avoid carrying large amounts of cash.

6. Have car keys in your hand and ready when approaching your car in the parking lot.

7. Be alert and aware of who is around you both inside the store and in the parking lot.