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Editor’s note: This is the second in a three-part series, as we look at the data from the annual Crime in Virginia report. Crime report data from Prince Edward/Farmville was first, now we look at Buckingham and we’ll look at Cumberland last next week. 

The numbers are holding steady in Buckingham. And the county is in better shape than some of those surrounding it. Those were some of the points taken from this year’s Crime in Virginia annual report, which details data in each of the cities, counties and towns across the Commonwealth.

Overall, Buckingham’s number of crimes comes out to 394, the exact same as in 2022. The way it works is the higher the number, the higher you are on the list. In other words, this is not a list where you want to be ranked first or second. It’s a positive that Buckingham finds itself in the Bottom 20 in the state, able to say it’s one of the safer counties. For that, Buckingham Sheriff Bill Kidd credits his staff. 

“Over the years, we have been able to attract some really great officers who are very much on the ball and want to make a difference,” Kidd said. “They try to concentrate on areas where we are having problems and concentrate their patrols accordingly.” 

That can be hard to do at times, Kidd said, as his department fields an average of 300 calls a week. To be clear, that doesn’t mean 300 crimes have been committed, but these are people asking for officers to come out and investigate. 

Looking at the crime report numbers

The Buckingham County Sheriff’s Office handed 368 crimes in 2023, while VSP responded to 32. In 2022, BCSO handled 365 crimes, while 29 were handled by state police. However, the crime rate increased slightly last year in Buckingham County because of the nature of some of the crimes. Crimes against persons rose in the county to 83 in 2023, up from 72 the previous year. Areas that saw an increase include murder and non- negligent manslaughter and negligent manslaughter with one of each in 2023, while there were none of either in 2022.

Simple assaults also jumped by 12 to 58 in 2023, while intimidation cases rose by four to a total of five in 2023. 

Crimes against society were up to 69 in 2023 from 50 the year prior. This increase came from drug and narcotic violations that rose by 23 to 54 in 2023.

Crackdown leads to more arrests

Kidd said those arrests are a result of a crackdown by his department, as Buckingham, along with the rest of the Commonwealth, deals with the Fentanyl and overall drug crisis. 

“We also have two seasoned investigators who are very good at what they do and follow leads until there is nothing left to follow,” Kidd said. “They know that a lot of our crime problem is the result of drugs and people who steal to get the money to buy those drugs, and they concentrate a lot of efforts on drug dealers.” 

And while we mentioned the increases there, Buckingham also had some significant declines. Crimes against property dropped in 2023, coming in at 248 from 2022’s 272. The largest declines came in motor vehicle theft, theft from motor vehicles and theft of vehicle parts and accessories.

Kidd praised his staff for their hard work, resulting in Buckingham having lower numbers than other areas. For example, Farmville/Prince Edward came in at 613 and while there are more people in Prince Edward, that’s still more than a 250 arrest difference. 

“I have been very lucky in the fact that in a time when police work is not a popular profession, I have still been able to find talented men and women who are willing to do this job,” Kidd said. “I am very proud of all of them.”