ABC13 Neighborhood Safety Tracker: Exploring robbery trends in busy Houston shopping areas

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- 'Tis almost the season for holiday shopping, and many of us still go to malls and stores even with the growing prevalence of online shopping.

That's what had Eyewitness News visit the ABC13 Neighborhood Safety Tracker to explore current robbery trends in some of the city's busiest shopping areas.

The recent data, which comes directly from the Houston Police Department, showed positive signs near the Galleria and Memorial City Mall but a slight uptick in cases around Baybrook Mall.

We'll start with the area around the Galleria, where there have been 55 robbery cases from Oct. 18, 2022, through Oct. 18, 2023.

There were 72 in 2022 alone.

SEE ALSO: Houston's murder rate still higher than before COVID-19 despite decline in numbers, data shows

Neighbors, leaders, and law enforcement converged on National Night Out as crime-fighting has become top of mind across the city.

The area around Memorial City Mall saw 31 robberies in all of 2022 but has only seen 30 over that previously mentioned 12-month span.

The Baybrook Mall area has gone from 20 robberies in all of 2022 to 22 in the previous 12 months.

All three areas have seen a decrease in cases when current numbers are compared to their four-year average.

Many major crimes, including robberies, are down across the entire City of Houston, per the ABC13 Neighborhood Safety Tracker.

Two exceptions are sexual assaults and auto thefts, which are both up 12% over the previous 12 months.

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