ANNA MARIA – Crime in the city of Anna Maria decreased overall by 18% in 2023 compared to 2022, according to Lt. John Belt from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
On Jan. 11, Belt provided the mayor and city commission with an overview of the annual crime report created using the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) used by local, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies.
Belt serves as the supervisor to Sgt. Brett Getman, who leads the MCSO Anna Maria Unit that serves as the city’s contracted law enforcement agency.
For 2023, Anna Maria’s Group A (serious) offenses included zero homicides, manslaughter cases or rapes, as was also the case in 2022. The Group A offenses included one robbery, one aggravated assault, one burglary, 18 larcenies and two motor vehicle thefts.
Belt said Group A offenses decreased by 25% in 2023, compared to 2022.
After noting that a robbery is defined as using force to take something, Belt said, “After reading that report, I don’t really think that was a robbery. It was an intoxicated male at a bar causing problems. It wasn’t an actual robbery, but we have to report that.”
Belt said the two reported motor vehicle thefts were not automobile thefts. One incident involved a motorized bike and the other involved a motorcycle.
Belt said most of the reported larcenies pertained to rental bikes left unlocked and stolen. He suggested bike rental companies providing locks to their clients might reduce those larcenies.
Belt thanked Sgt. Getman and the Anna Maria Unit deputies for their efforts and hard work and said the goal is to continue reducing crime. He said the community, especially the city’s full-time residents, can help by reporting any suspicious activity they observe.
“Give us a call and let us check it out,” he said.
“We’re not crime-free by any stretch of the imagination, and I think the lieutenant and his team have done a real good job of making our city a little bit better place to live,” Mayor Dan Murphy said. “We certainly appreciate the efforts. That is a great reduction.”
