The number of violent crimes in Warner Robins held steady from 2010 to 2011, while the number of thefts jumped 23 percent.
That's similar to the trend Macon police reported, when they released their annual crime statistics last month and consistent with national numbers reported from police departments to the FBI.
Warner Robins Police Chief Brett Evans explained how they use the numbers to better protect the community.
Evans says crime numbers don't share the whole story, but provide police and the community with a snapshot of what's happening around them.
He said, "If they pay attention to the crime statistics. They can say, hey, our crime is staying at a good level. So, the money were spending is not going to waste."
From 2010 to 2011, homicides stayed the same with five. So did car thefts.
Rape, robbery and simple assault increased slightly.
Aggravated assault, burglary and arson cases decreased.
The big jump came in theft, up 583 cases to 3,172. Of those more than 700 were car break-ins. 735 were shoplifting cases.
Evans says extra enforcement boosted the number of reports.
He said, "A couple of the larger retail chains did a significant enforcement of shoplifting. The brought in people from other stores and did enforcement in one particular store. So, there were days when we processed 14 or 15 shoplifters from one retail store."
A further break down shows police where to patrol in the future.
Evans said the majority of the shoplifting crime happened in the retail section of Watson Boulevard. They'll now send more officers here during the time of year and the time of day they saw those crimes happen.
"It's changed where we go on a daily basis", he said.
Evans said the numbers can also translate the numbers into how best to protect themselves and their property, along with helping police.
Macon police attributed their spike in thefts to metal theft. Evans said he believes that is one factor in their statistics, but did not know how much.