THE OFFENSES OF MURDER, FORCIBLE RAPE, ROBBERY, AGGRAVATED ASSAULT, BURGLARY, LARCENY $50 AND OVER, AND AUTO THEFT ARE USED TO ESTABLISH AN INDEX IN THE UNIFORM CRIME PROGRAM TO MEASURE THE TREND AND DISTRIBUTION OF CRIME IN THE UNITED STATES. THE CRIME COUNTS USED IN THE INDEX ARE THOSE ACTUALLY REPORTED AND ESTABLISHED BY POLICE INVESTIGATIONS. THE CRIME RATES RELATE THE INCIDENCE OF CRIME TO POPULATION AND THUS REPRESENT A VICTIM RISK RATE. SINCE MANY FACTORS INFLUENCE THE NATURE AND EXTENT OF CRIME IN A PARTICULAR COMMUNITY, IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT THE STATISTICAL TABLES IN THIS PUBLICATION REFLECT A VOLUME OF CRIME NOT SOLELY RELATED TO NUMERICAL POPULATION DIFFERENCES. THE TABULATIONS INDICATE THE PROBABLE EXTENT, FLUCTUATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF CRIME FOR THE UNITED STATES AS A WHOLE, GEOGRAPHICAL DIVISIONS, INDIVIDUAL STATES, AND STANDARD METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS. THE TABLES SET FORTH AT THE START OF THE REPORT SUMMARIZE THE FINDINGS ON THE SEVEN INDIVIDUAL OFFENSES AND STATISTICALLY ANALYZE THE VOLUME, TREND, ARRESTS, AND PROSECUTIONS OF EACH CRIME. DURING THE CALENDAR YEAR 1972, THE REPORTED CRIME INDEX OFFENSES DECREASED TWO PERCENT FROM 1971. THE VIOLENT CRIME CATEGORY, MURDER, RAPE AND AGGRAVATED ASSAULT, INCREASED IN VOLUME OVER 1971. PROPERTY CRIMES, WHICH ACCOUNT FOR 86 PERCENT OF THE CRIME INDEX TOTALS, DECREASED APPROXIMATELY TWO PERCENT AS A GROUP. THE VOLUME OF CRIME AS MEASURED BY THE CRIME INDEX, REVEALS THAT LARGE CITIES REPORT AN OVERALL DECREASE IN CRIME, WHEREAS SUBURBAN AND RURAL AREAS REPORT AN INCREASE FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR. (SNI ABSTRACT)