The Polk County Sheriff's Office, which has jurisdiction in unincorporated areas such as Four Corners and Poinciana, said this is the lowest crime rate measured by the agency since reliable statistics were first gathered in 1971.

While the crime rate may be down, the Sheriff's Office experienced a nearly 13 percent increase in the number of reported homicides, robberies, assaults and sex offenses.

There were 15 reported homicides in 2006, up from six in 2005. Until 2005, the number of homicides in unincorporated Polk County had traditionally been in the double-digits.

"Homicides, which are typically crimes of passion and difficult to prevent, went down significantly in 2005. Last year, we reported 15 homicides. . . . However, we are proud to report that of those, only two remain unsolved," said Sheriff Grady Judd in a statement.

The number of reported robberies was up about 46 percent in 2006 compared with the year before. In 2005, the Sheriff's Office received 191 reports of robberies. In 2006, the agency received 279.

"Fortunately, the vast majority of robberies involve no violence to the victim, but we are taking this trend very seriously," sheriff's Chief W.J. Martin said.

Martin also noted that about half of the robbery cases were related to other criminal activity, such as drug deals.

"For the vast majority of law-abiding citizens, robberies remain a very rare occurrence," Martin said. "People run a much higher risk of being a victim of a robbery if they are involved with illegal drugs."

While there was an increase in the number of violent crimes, some nonviolent offenses decreased in 2006, such as larcenies and vehicle theft.

The trend was similar in neighboring Osceola County, said Twis Lizasuain, spokeswoman for the Osceola County Sheriff's Office.

"We have seen an increase in violent and nonviolent crime reported to us," she said, "but the crime rate is slightly down."

She attributed the increase of reported crimes to the growing number of residents moving into the county.

The Sheriff's Office has not released official statistics, she said.

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