The crime rate in Thousand Oaks fell by 12 percent in 2011, according to figures released last week. The 15.18 crimes for every 1,000 of the city’s 127,000 residents represented the second-lowest rate in the city’s 48-year history.

In 2011, there were 1,936 Part I crimes reported in T.O., compared with 2,184 in 2010, a rate of 17.24 per 1,000 residents that year.

“Given the state of the economy and the issues with the prisons, overcrowding relief and our budget reductions, I’m really, really pleased to see that,” TOPD Police Capt. Bill Ayub told the Acorn. “We’ve put a lot of effort into getting our crime to drop, and it’s nice to see our efforts pay off.”

The FBI has recognized T.O.’s crime rate this year as the third lowest in the nation for cities with a population over 100,000, Ayub added. The city’s lowest crime rate was in 2008, when there were 15.11 crimes per 1,000 residents, he said.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office’s annual Part I crimes report released last week included figures for each of the sheriff’s five contract cities—Thousand Oaks, Camarillo, Moorpark, Fillmore and Ojai. Part I crime statistics cover thefts, burglaries, robberies, arson, assaults, rapes and homicides.

The city’s drop in reported crimes can be attributed mainly to a decrease in reported property crimes, from 2,046 in 2010 to 1,799 in 2011, a drop of 11 percent.

Violent crimes fell by less than 1 percent, from 138 in 2010 to 137 in 2011.

“Our violent crimes are historically very low, which, of course, is a continuing source of pride and pleasure,” Ayub said.

He said it’s difficult to point to any one measure that accounts for the decline in property crimes. The number of burglaries in T.O. fell to 319 last year from 358 reported in 2010, and thefts fell to 1,468 in 2011 from 1,679 in 2010.

Businesses have contributed to the decline by installing improved video security systems, lighting and sight-lines into their buildings after hours for passing police patrol vehicles, the captain said.

Inside the numbers

T.O., the largest among the five cities in the county that contract for police services with the sheriff’s department, saw the biggest drop last year occur in reported rapes—down 38 percent from the year before. Ten rapes were reported to T.O. police in 2011, compared with 16 in 2010.

Robberies—stealing by force or fear—also fell, to 34 last year from 50 in 2010.

Ayub gives much of the credit for the decline in crime to what’s called “intelligence-led policing.” The department relies on two crime analysts to use crime report data to predict where future offenses might occur.

“That, I’d say, is working extremely well,” Ayub said.

The department has relied for years on crime forecasts, calculated by hand in times past. But with improved computer software and more crime data available, the department’s analysts can provide more information on possible crimes, Ayub said.

For instance, with the recent resurgence in heroin use in T.O., analysts can forecast the ages of offenders and when and where they might shoot up.

The information allows the department to position officers and other resources for the best effect, he said.

“We’re able to put a halt to trends,” Ayub said. “It allows us to do more with less; in essence, we’re just not shooting in the dark.”

Mayor Jacqui Irwin wasn’t surprised by the crime results for 2011.

“Certainly the City of Thousand Oaks has been at the top of the list of safest cities in the country for a very long time,” she said.

Irwin said officers in the field should take much of the credit.

“I’ve been on ride-alongs, and when you see how vigilant they are it’s really quite impressive.”

She also cites the priority the City Council gives to public safety by forging a cooperative relationship with the sheriff’s department.

“The proof is in the pudding— the numbers have come out and we continue to do well with the crime stats because of our priorities and the dedication of police officers,” Irwin said.

Not all Part I crime in T.O. saw a decline, however.

The 92 incidents of aggravated assault last year represented a 30 percent increase over 2010. The 71 reported incidents in 2010 marked an all-time low for the city. T.O. has averaged 140 aggravated assaults a year over the past 20 years, Ayub said.

Incidents involving a firearm jumped to nine from four reported the year before, an increase of 125 percent.

Ayub said most of the incidents last year were heated disputes between loved ones that resulted in minor injuries to at least one of the parties. But in two instances, T.O. officers had to fire their guns at men who came at them with a deadly weapon. The men were injured but have recovered, he said.

Arson incidents also climbed last year, from nine to 12. Ayub said some were structures set afire but most were minor incidents that involved children playing with flammable materials that resulted in trash, clothing or bushes catching fire.

“There are no alarming trends there that we’ve seen,” the captain said of the 2011 crime report.

If there is a downside to the steady drop in crimes overall, Ayub said, it would have to be that some residents relax their guard and leave items of value in sight in their cars or homes. His advice to residents and businesses: Secure all belongings and report any suspicious behavior to police.

“This is already a prime hunting ground for criminals,” Ayub said. “The community’s affluent; there’s a lot of loot here to get, and people will come from other communities, with pleasure, to take it if we let them.”