Los Angeles police see drop in Latino reports of crime

LOS ANGELES: Latinos in Los Angeles are lodging fewer reports of rape and spousal abuse to police so far this year amid heightened concerns among immigrants that contact with law enforcement could lead to deportation, police Chief Charlie Beck said on Tuesday.

Beck cited 41 fewer reports of rape - down 25 per cent - and 118 fewer domestic violence complaints - a 10 per cent drop - among the city’s Hispanic residents since January, compared with the same period of 2016.

Those declines, coinciding with President Donald Trump taking office as he vowed to step up deportations of immigrants who entered the US illegally, were not seen in the crime reporting of other ethnic groups, Beck said.

The trend suggested a growing mistrust of the criminal justice system among Latinos as the Trump administration has pressed state and local law enforcement to assist US immigration agents, the Los Angeles Police Department said.

“While there is no direct evidence that the decline is related to concerns within the Hispanic community regarding immigration, the department believes deportation fears may be preventing Hispanic members of the community from reporting when they are victimised,” the LAPD said in a statement. — Reuters