Violent crimes and rapes in Colorado increased in 2010, but car thieves found it harder to do business, according to crime statistics released today by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

Nationally, overall violent crimes fell 5.5 percent between 2009 and 2010, Colorado saw an increase of 3.4 percent in the category that includes homicide, forcible rape and aggravated assault, according to reports from 244 local law enforcement agencies.

However, the state’s homicide rate of 2.5 per 100,000 people last year was exactly one-half the national rate of 5.0, according to federal and state statistics.

Homicides in Colorado dropped 23.7 percent, from 169 to 129 last year, the lowest total in at least a decade. The next fewest homicides in Colorado were in 2001, when 141 were reported.

Colorado property crimes fell 1.5 percent in 2010, but nationally property crimes decreased by 2.8 percent.

Forcible rapes — those defined as non-statutory sex assaults — rose 3.4 percent to 2,168 reports last year, according to the CBI.

Since 2001, when 1,700 rapes were reported, the rate has risen by 27 percent.

Colorado’s overall population has grown more than 17 percent since 2000, according to the U.S. Census.

Factoring in Colorado’s population growth, the state’s overall crime rate per 100,000 residents dropped by 1 percent, according to the CBI.

The 25,769 burglaries reported in Colorado last year amounted to a 0.5 percent increase over 2009 but are about the same as they were a decade ago.

Burglaries account for almost 61 percent of all “major” reported offenses, according to the CBI.

Car and truck theft continues to decline. There were 11,114 auto thefts last year, a 56 percent decrease from 2005, when there 25,315.

The tumble has a corollary, said Colorado Bureau of Investigations spokesman Lance Clem said, referring to the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority.

“The task force has definitely made a difference,” he said.

The state authority provides about $4 million a year to help track down professional thieves, car-theft rings and chop shops.

The authority was created by the state legislature in 2003 and, since 2008, has been funded by an insurance policy assessment.

The full report is available at http://cbi.state.co.us/CNC/cic2k10/index.html.

Joey Bunch: 303-954-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com