Violent crime on the rise in west Houston

(10/09/06 - KTRK/HOUSTON) (KTRK) -- Violent crime in the city of Houston is up, and west Houston is no exception.

Outcry has led to action on Houston's west side where there has been much public debate over how to handle crime.

We put our exclusive Crime Tracker to work, taking a closer look at what's happening in district 20. It's the portion of Houston's west side loosely bordered by the Katy Freeway, the Westpark Tollway, Gessner and the city's west border. Overall violent crimes are up 4.7 percent for the first eight months of 2006 versus 2005.

The greatest gain -- murders. They're up to 15 from 9 the year before. That's an increase of nearly 67%. A third of the homicides in this part of town happened near Westpark and the beltway.

Aggravated assaults are also on the rise. They're up to 380 from 330. That's an increase of more than 15%.

Rapes are up slightly -- 12%. Only robberies have decreased, and only by 4%.

The city says this effort to combat crime on the west side is an ongoing and sustainable endeavor. In fact, we've learned more than a million dollars has been set aside to provide for more patrols there. Those patrols begin on Tuesday.
(Copyright © 2006, KTRK-TV)

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