Violent crime report shows increase in 2 troubling categories for Honolulu

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Violent crime is down nationwide this year, but Honolulu has seen an increase in two troubling categories.

This is the result of a survey conducted by the Major Cities Chiefs Association.

The violent crime report released Monday covers nearly 70 cities across the United States, with Honolulu being the only city in Hawaii large enough to be part of the study.

The figures cover the first half of the year from January 1 to June 30.

Only 15 cities saw an increase in murder rates during this period. Honolulu was one of them, with one additional murder.

There were 16 cases reported, compared to 15 in the same period in 2023. There were 23 murders in all of 2023.

The 16 cases this year include the mass murder and suicide in Manoa in March. Paris Oda stabbed his wife and three children to death before killing himself with the knife.

The number of reported rapes has increased dramatically. In the first half of this year there were 164, compared to 136 in the first half of last year.

Rape is difficult to measure because it is counted in the year the crime is reported, so if someone was raped years ago but only came forward this year, it will be included in that year's statistics.

“Sometimes these cases sit in a backlog for years, especially child sexual abuse cases,” said retired HPD Deputy Chief John McCarthy.

For this reason, rape figures can sometimes be misleading, McCarthy said.

Community activists want to see stronger communication from HPD in the event of a violent incident.

“Where is this happening so we can better protect ourselves,” said Camron Hurt of Common Cause Hawaii.

The good news from the report: robberies and serious assaults have declined significantly.

In the first half of 2024, 287 robberies were recorded, compared to 428 in the same period last year.

The number of serious bodily injuries in the first six months of 2023 was 505, of which 607 were.

Honolulu police declined an interview request about the survey, but a spokesperson said in an email that working with community groups to combat gun violence is a priority.

Even though the murder and rape rates are worrying, Honolulu is consistently rated as one of the safer major cities.

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