A number of recent armed robberies occurring near Marquette prompted a campus-wide increase in police presence last week. But while this spike may be momentarily alarming, crime in Milwaukee has decreased significantly over the past few years.

Information released by Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn on Aug. 16 showed that violent crime has fallen notably in the past four years.

Since 2007, the total amount of violent crimes in the first half of each year dropped by 30.1 percent. Robberies alone dropped by 21.3 percent.

On Aug. 27, however, Flynn deployed over 100 officers into Police Districts 3, 5 and 7 in what he called “Operation Summer Blitz.”

Marquette is located in District 3.

Flynn said during a police roll call that the operation was meant to decrease violent crime in the districts where it has increased in the past year. But as Flynn’s statistics show, violent crime has decreased dramatically overall.

So why the increased police presence?

Instances of robberies have risen by .05 percent in Milwaukee since this time last year. That only amounts to an increase of seven instances, but it bucks the overall trend of decreasing crime the city has recently enjoyed.

Last week there were four armed robberies reported on Marquette’s campus. Only five were reported in the two months prior.

“It is not unusual to see an increase in crime at the beginning of the school year,” said Department of Public Safety Captain Russell Shaw. “But this is not acceptable.”

In an effort to increase student safety, the Milwaukee Police Department added mounted horse patrols and additional squads to patrol from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. every night. The patrol boundaries of MPD’s Violent Crime Initiative Task Force were also extended eastward to include Marquette’s campus.

DPS  increased officer presence at night and added a LIMO Scout, a special LIMO with a strobe light that stops students late at night to inquire if they would like a ride or walking escort. DPS also expanded its patrol area north to Highland Ave. from 14th Street to 17th Street for additional campus safety.

Despite the upward spike of crime on campus, however, Shaw said what is happening on Marquette’s campus is not that bad compared to the rest of the city.

Though crime numbers are down compared to previous years, there have still been close to 50 homicides, more than 100 cases of rape and nearly 1,650 cases of aggravated assault reported in Milwaukee in 2011. Since 2008, no homicides, less than 10 cases of sexual assault and one case of aggravated assault have been reported on Marquette’s campus.

Student safety in Milwaukee extends beyond Marquette’s borders, however. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has also experienced robberies in the areas around its campus in the past few weeks.

“I can tell you that there have been no robberies on campus, but there have been some in the surrounding neighborhoods,” said UWM Police Captain Gregory Habeck.

Habeck explained that he was unable to say exactly how many robberies have occurred in the area since the UWM police department is restricted solely to campus and does not handle crimes outside of its limited jurisdiction. MPD keeps track of the crimes in the neighborhoods near campus, he said.

MPD Public Relations Manager Anne Schwartz was unavailable for comment by press time.