Year-End Crime Statistics Show Decreases in Homicide and Violent CrimernrnPhiladelphia, January 5 – Mayor Michael A. Nutter, Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey, and District Attorney Seth Williams, released preliminary crime statistics for calendar year 2009 in a press conference today. Preliminary statistics for 2009 compared to 2008 show that homicide has been reduced by 8.4%, marking the lowest number of murders in Philadelphia over the past seven years. Part I Violent Crime, comprising murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault, has decreased 8.6% and total Part I Crime has decreased by 10.2%. The homicide clearance rate is among the highest in the country at 75.5%.rnrn“These are incredible achievements and we should pause for just a moment to recognize them,†said Mayor Nutter. “This is only a start, however, and there is much more work to be done as we continue to work better and smarter in making Philadelphia a safer city.â€rnrn“We have continued to make significant progress in 2009,†said Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey. “This will be another challenging year of fighting crime, but we are learning how to more effectively use our resources through targeted law enforcement efforts. We’ll do everything we can to involve the community moving forward in 2010 as we develop our neighborhood policing strategy.â€rnrnFull data for 2009 compared to 2008, as well as 2007, will be released later in the month. All crime statistics are preliminary and subject to change pending further investigation.