(Photo: FBI.gov)

The number of violent crimes committed in the United States fell six percent in 2010, making it the fourth year-on-year decline, the FBI said Monday.

For the eighth consecutive year, the volume of property crimes went down as well — 2.7 percent, said the FBI.

The report was compiled from data submitted to the FBI by more than 18,000 city, county, university and college, state and federal law enforcement agencies from around the nation.The report, Crime in the United States, 2010, contains information on the number of reported murders and non-negligent manslaughters, forcible rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries, larceny-thefts, motor vehicle thefts and arsons.

There had been an expectation that crime would increase in a weak economy, writes the Associated Press. But according to University of Cincinnati professor John Eck, that is not the case.
"The connection between crime and the economy is an illusion," Eck, who teaches criminal justice research methods, told the AP. Eck says an important factor in driving down crime rates is improved policing practices that focus on high-crime locations.

Here are some highlights from Crime in the United States, 2010:
— Total number of crimes reported: 10,329,135;
— Most common violent crime: aggravated assault;

— Most common characteristics of arrestees: 74.5 percent of arrestees were male, and 69.4 percent of arrestees were white; 
— Most common property crime: larceny-theft;
— Top three crimes for which law enforcement reported arrests: drug abuse violations, driving while intoxicated and larceny-theft (1,271,410).

(Photo: REUTERS/Kyle Carter)