Portsmouth police report a drop in violent crime but see a rise in thefts and fentanyl cases this year

Portsmouth police report a drop in violent crime but see a rise in thefts and fentanyl cases this year

Overall crime in Portsmouth is trending in the right direction, but the full picture remains complicated as police work on community solutions.Portsmouth Police Chief Stephen Jenkins presented first-quarter numbers to city leaders, covering January through March of this year, and compared them to the same period in 2025. Total crimes are down more than 5%, and the number of people falling victim to crime dropped by nearly 6%."While we continue t…