Crime data for Tri-Cities show mixed results from 2024 to 2025
VENN
PETERSBURG, Va. (WRIC) -- 8News has gathered crime data for the Tri-Cities area from 2024 and 2025, comparing rises and declines.
The FBI's Crime Data Explorer shows the crime rates in Petersburg, Colonial Heights and Hopewell. It presented crimes such as aggravated assault, homicide, rape, robbery, arson, burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft (MVT) and destruction of property. 8News compared the data from September 2023 to September 2024 with September 2024 to September 2025.
Petersburg
Petersburg had the largest number of crimes committed each year compared to Hopewell and Colonial Heights.
Petersburg September 2023- September 2024 September 2024- September 2025 Difference Aggravated Assault 273 303 +30 Homicide 24 8 -16 Rape 18 19 +1 Robbery 29 34 +5 Arson 7 4 -3 Burglary 105 123 +18 Larceny-Theft 910 815 -95 MVT 159 115 -44 Destruction of Property 448 513 +65 Total number of cases 1,973 1,934 -36
Petersburg had an increase in three of the four violent crime categories -- aggravated assault, homicide, rape and robbery. Homicides decreased significantly from 24 in 2024 to only eight cases in 2025.
The city had 910 larceny-thefts from September 2023 to September 2024, but it decreased to 815 instances from September 2024 to September 2025.
The area of crime with the highest increase between 2024 and 2025 was the charge for destruction of property, with 65 more cases reported than the previous year -- from 448 crimes in 2024 to 513 in 2025.
Hopewell
Between the three cities, Hopewell had the least amount of major crimes committed each year.
The city also had the biggest decreases in crime rates from 2024 to 2025 -- with the instances of major crimes decreasing by 110 cases.
Hopewell September 2023- September 2024 September 2024- September 2025 Difference Aggravated Assault 69 65 -4 Homicide 6 9 +3 Rape 7 4 -3 Robbery 8 14 +6 Arson 3 4 +1 Burglary 41 28 -13 Larceny-Theft 321 325 +4 MVT 126 57 -69 Destruction of Property 182 147 -35 Total number of cases 763 653 -110
Hopewell saw minor increases in homicides and robberies, but similarly minor decreases in aggravated assaults and rapes.
Hopewell had the largest decrease in cases for MVT. There were 69 fewer cases this past year compared to the one before.
Colonial Heights
Colonial Heights was the only city to have an increase in crimes from 2024 to 2025. Across all major crime types, it had 108 more cases in 2025 than 2024.
Colonial Heights September 2023- September 2024 September 2024- September 2025 Difference Aggravated Assault 70 83 +13 Homicide 1 1 0 Rape 10 9 -1 Robbery 7 12 +5 Arson 2 3 +1 Burglary 20 43 +23 Larceny-Theft 577 641 +64 MVT 31 30 -1 Destruction of Property 138 142 +4 Total number of cases 856 964 +108
Aggravated assaults and robberies increased slightly between 2024 and 2025, but rapes and homicides remained essentially unchanged.
The biggest change of all the major crime areas, between 2024 and 2025, was an increase of 64 larceny-thefts. The only decreases Colonial Heights had was for rapes and MVTs, which both only had one fewer case the following year.
For more information, visit the FBI Crime Data Explorer here.
