Loudoun County has the lowest crime rate in northern Virginia, according to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ annual report on crime and crime control.

According to officials, Loudoun County has seen a 19 percent decrease in crime since 2012. The 2017 crime rate in the county was the second lowest crime rate reported by the 23 regional law enforcement agencies from Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

“It is one of the safest communities certainly in the Washington D.C. area and the only entity that has a lower crime rate than us is farther west than us. If you just look at where we are in a national capitol region, it is pretty impressive. I believe the hard work of our men and women has been really what has made our crime rate go down over time,” said Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman.

The annual report focuses on offenses as defined by the FBI, including homicide, aggravated assault, rape, robbery, burglary and larceny.