DOVER, Del.- An annual report on crime in Dover showed the city experienced more violent crime in 2018, though police cleared roughly three quarters of those incidents.

The Dover Police Department's annual report was released last week to the public, giving city leaders and community members a look at how the agency is doing from a year to year basis.

The 2018 report found a 30 percent increase in violent crime incidents like murder, rape, and robberies with 346 incidents being recorded. Of those crimes, 260 were cleared by officers.

Cpl. Mark Hoffman, a Dover police spokesman, pointed out that violent crime saw a decrease in 2017, despite a rash of shootings in the first half of the year.

"I don't think the numbers tell the whole story in this case," he said.

Hoffman also said the agency's numbers were strong when it came to overall crime, especially as in a five year range.

The report comes at a time when Dover Police Chief Marvin Mailey has expressed interest in expanding the department's authorized strength so he can hire more officers and alleviate staffing shortages.

Hoffman said the agency is frequently pulling officers from specialized divisions to ensure there are enough officers patrolling the city at all times.