Lawrence Police Chief Tarik Khatib is pictured in the briefing room at the Law Enforcement Center on Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2016.

The number of crimes being committed in Lawrence is going down and the number of crimes being solved by police is going up, but oftentimes Lawrence still trails other communities in those key categories, according to the latest figures from a benchmark survey for the industry.

The survey, compiled by the city of Overland Park, compares the Lawrence Police Department with 29 other departments from midsize cities across the country. Cities ranged in size from the approximately 285,000 in Henderson, Nev., to the approximately 87,000 in Boca Raton, Fla. The survey does include other Midwest university communities. In addition to Lawrence, the survey includes Boulder, Colo.; Norman, Okla.; Columbia, Mo.; Lincoln, Neb.; and Fort Collins, Colo.

After the study was released recently, Lawrence Police Chief Tarik Khatib presented some of his takeaway points to the City Commission. Here’s a look at Khatib’s report, plus some additional figures from the study.

Crime statistics:

• Crime as a whole is in decline, Khatib said. In 2011, there were 42.5 crimes reported per 1000 citizens in Lawrence. In 2015, the number shrunk to 38.3 per 1000 citizens. The average for the entire group of 30 cities is 30.4 per thousand. The average for the six Midwest college-oriented communities was 33.9 per thousand.

• Similarly, violent crimes are decreasing from 4.2 per 1000 citizens in 2011 to 2.4 per 1000 citizens in 2015. Khatib attributed this specifically to a decrease in aggravated assaults and batteries due to effective officer patrol strategies. The average for the 30 communities is 2.7 per thousand. The average for the six college communities is 3.0 per thousand.

• Rape offenses per 1000 citizens have increased from 0.47 to 0.62 per 1000 citizens. The average for the 30 communities is 0.42 per thousand residents. The average for the six college communities is 0.50 per thousand.

• Robbery rates have fluctuated, but remained relatively constant over the past five years.

• Property crimes have decreased slightly in the past five years.

Clearance rates:

• Over the past five years the Lawrence Police Department’s total clearance rate has increased from 11.2 percent to 24.4 percent. The average clearance rate is 27 percent for the 30 cities. For the university communities it is 27.2 percent.

• The violent crime clearance rate saw an overall increase from 41.1 percent in 2011 to 53.2 percent. The average clearance rate for violent crime is 60.2 percent. For the college communities it is 57.2 percent.

• Aggravated assault and battery clearance rate increased from 45.2 percent in 2011 to 71.1 percent in 2015. The average rate is 70 percent. The average for the college communities is 66.8 percent.

• Lawrence’s clearance rate on rape cases was well below the average. Lawrence had a clearance rate of 25 percent in 2015, falling from a recent high of 44 percent in 2014. In 2013 and 2012, Lawrence’s rape clearance rates were below 15 percent. The 2015 average for the 30 communities is 48.2 percent. The average for college communities is 42.2 percent.

• Clearance rates for robberies increased from 25.5 in 2011 to 36.4 percent in 2015. The average is 43.5 percent.

• Low property crime clearance rates have a significant effect on the total clearance numbers, Khatib said. These numbers rose from 7.9 percent in 2011 to 22.4 percent in 2015. The average for the 30 cities is 24.4 percent. For the college communities, it is 24.4 percent.

In a summary of the Benchmark Survey, Khatib noted the Lawrence Police Department operates efficiently and with low overhead, though he said the department lacks a number of civilian positions, which means commissioned officers must take over additional responsibilities.

As a whole, many crime rates are decreasing while clearance rates are moving upwards, he said.