Homicide rate is a measure of public safety in a city, indicating the prevalence of violent crime and threats to individuals' lives. Threats to a person’s life have major consequences on mental, emotional, and social health and can have far-reaching consequences for community cohesion.
Decreasing homicides is a major policy goal of many leaders at all levels of government. Research on homicide prevention shows successful attempts to reduce the homicide rate will need to target economic and environmental drivers as well as political and societal barriers to care and prevention.
A decrease in homicide rate represents a significant achievement for public safety, as it can enable residents to feel more secure and confident in their daily lives.