Violent crime in the US on the rise

The rate of violent crime in the US is on the rise for the first time in nearly 20 years. 

In a telephone survey by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, respondents showed there was a 22 percent increase in assaults, including simple assaults defined as crimes involving a threat but no weapon, pushing up the overall rate for violent crime for the first time since 1993.

This new data marks a stark contrast to 2010, when violent crime hit an all time low in the US, according to CNN. 

According to the annual National Crime Victimization Survey, an estimated 5.8 million US citizens ages 12 and older suffered a violent victimization. There was also an estimated 17.1 million property victimizations.

CNN noted that the number of victims of the more serious crime category increased among whites and Hispanics, and among young men, but not among young women.

In a statement the bureau said, "While the percentage change in violent crime from 2010 to 2011 is relatively large, the actual difference between the rates for those years is below the average annual change in violent crime over the past two decades," adding, "The low rates make the percentage change large, but crime still remains at historically low levels."

According to MarketWatch, the rate of violent victimization has fallen 72 percent in total since 1993. But that may not be enough to stave off concern over the increase in violent crime. 

Eugene O'Donnell, a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, told the Huffington Post, "Any police chief in the country would be wise to be concerned. If you dig into these numbers, you can see the seeds of larger problems."

The Huffington Post also noted that experts have raised concerns that police departments across the US are facing an increased pressure to show continually falling crime rates, leading to underreporting of crime.

O'Donnell added, "It calls into question whether whether police departments, either subtlety or overtly, are discouraging reporting. There's real pressure on police departments to have the numbers going down all the time."