HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The crime rate in Reno County increased in 2017 according to the latest statistics released Friday by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

According to the report, the number of violent crimes increased from 195 in 2016 to 277 last year. There were two murders in the county in 2017 along with 30 rape cases compared with the previous year of 21. The report also showed 206 aggravated assaults compared to 148 in 2016, and 39 aggravated robberies in 2017 compared to 25 the previous year.

Property crimes were up as well with 3,024 in 2017 and 2,079 in 2016, which include burglaries and thefts combined. Of the 2,061 total offenses handled by law enforcement in Reno County, 2,210 were taken on by Hutchinson police with another 291 handled by the sheriff’s department.

There were a total of 11,734 statewide violent crimes in 2017 compared to 11,041 in 2016. This is an increase of 12.3 percent year-over-year.