BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) - Violent crime is up in Birmingham despite overall crime being down, according to the weekly crime stats from the city.
According to the city of Birmingham’s crime stats, total crime is down 17.1% from this time last year. The total crime is broken into two categories: violent crime and property crime. Total property crime has gone down 24.0% since this time last year. However, total violent crime is up 13.8%.
In 2025, violent crime makes up 24.9% of the total crime for the year. At this time last year, violent crime was 18.1% of total crime. The city lists four things under violent crime: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. In 2025, murder is 3.2% of total violent crime versus 3.6% of total violent crime this time in 2024.
In 2025, property crime makes up 75.1% of total crime compared to last year’s 81.9%. The city lists burglary, auto theft and theft under property crimes. Both years, theft has put up the biggest numbers in the property crime category. In 2025, theft makes up 66.6% of property crime versus 66.5% in 2024. Out of total crime in the city, theft accounts for 50% this year compared to 54.4% in 2024.
Rod Bailey and Orlando Weaver have lived in Birmingham their whole lives. They looked at the crime stats on Friday and gave their input on the city.
“We need to have more boots on the ground. We need to release the money to get more people out," Weaver said. "Just visible, you know just visible. So, that number’s going to rise until we get more boots on the ground, I think, and parent education.”
“I’ve lived here all my life, and I’ve worked for the city for 30 years, so it’s nothing surprising to me. I hate to say it like that, but it’s not a surprise," Bailey said. “How can you deter crime if you keep telling these kids to go out there and play with guns and stuff like that? They’ve got nothing to do. They don’t have anything to do. So, it’s not going to help. I don’t care what happens, you’ve got to start small. That’s learned behavior.”
Bailey and Weaver say increasing violent crime is a worldwide problem. They think the fix starts with at home.
"The kids are living by themselves, leaving by themselves, just out, not time curfew, no responsibility. So all of that adds up," Weaver said. "Then your buddies become family, gangs become family.”
"If you don’t give these kids an outlet, there’s no gyms, there’s no parks, there’s no sports for the kids," Bailey said. "What are they to do?”
When asked for an interview to talk about the crime stats, the city of Birmingham yielded to the Birmingham Police Department. The Birmingham Police Department declined an interview.