Violent crime has been trending downward in Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM), however, rates are still above the national average, according to an annual report on crime statistics in 2008.

The Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics released its Crime Statistics in Canada 2008 report on Tuesday. The annual report contains information on police-reported crime across the country.

Crime and violent crime in Halifax trended downward for the fourth consecutive year. More specifically, both the volume of police-reported crime and its overall severity dropped nine percent in 2008.

Rates of break and enter were down 23 percent, motor vehicle thefts were down 20 percent, and robbery was down 11 percent.

Further, both the overall volume and severity of police-reported violent crime were also down in Halifax in 2008. The volume of violent crime was down eight percent, while the severity of violent crime was down seven percent.

Despite these decreases, both the overall crime rate and violent crime rate in HRM are above the national average. Police also point out that there has been a spike in violent crime, namely robberies and shootings, in the first six months of 2009.