Reported Crimes Dropped Across Border Belt Counties
North Carolina saw a 7.4 percent reduction in total reported crimes between 2019 and 2025.
Updated on Oct. 14, 2026 in Property Crime
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Reported crimes declined across Bladen, Columbus, Robeson, and Scotland counties between 2019 and 2025. This regional downward trend reflects a broader statewide decrease in total reported crime over the same period.
Why it matters
Understanding these localized crime patterns provides insight into the efficacy of regional public safety efforts. The data highlights a significant shift from the peak homicide levels observed in North Carolina during 2020 and 2021.
Reported crimes fell by 44 percent in Bladen, 36 percent in Columbus, 13 percent in Scotland, and nearly 7 percent in Robeson County since 2019. State homicide figures also declined significantly from their 2021 peak to 669 reported incidents in 2025.
The players
North Carolina Criminal Justice Analysis Center
This agency serves as the primary entity responsible for tracking and analyzing crime data across the state.
The details
Data tracked by the North Carolina Criminal Justice Analysis Center shows that all four Border Belt counties experienced decreases in reported property crimes. While violent crime also dropped across most of these counties, Scotland County was the exception to that trend.
Timeline
2019 served as the baseline year for regional crime reporting statistics.
North Carolina experienced a major jump in homicides during 2020 and 2021.
The crime reduction statistics span the period ending in 2025.
Legal Context
The recent decline in crime follows the pronounced 2020-2021 North Carolina homicide spike that prompted widespread concern across the state. These figures represent a clear departure from the historical trends observed during the height of that volatility.
Residents in the Border Belt region may see these findings as an indicator of changing safety conditions in their local communities. The data helps the public understand how regional security has evolved relative to statewide averages since 2019.
The takeaway
These findings underscore a period of significant statistical improvement for North Carolina's crime landscape. Residents should continue to monitor local public safety reports to understand how these broader statewide trends manifest in their own neighborhoods.
Further reading
For more information on trends in the area, visit the North Carolina Property Crime section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Border Belt Independent.
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