Violent crimes such as murders and rapes were 1.4 fewer in the United States in 2007, the FBI reported on Monday. The decrease comes after two years during which federal crimes were on a rising trend in the US and caused concern among criminal justice experts

In fact, all four violent crime categories registered a nationwide drop off in 2007. More accurately, rape decreased by 4.3 percent, murder and manslaughter dropped by 2.7 percent while robberies and aggravated assaults fell by 1.2 percent.

Other categories of crimes such as burglary, larceny, theft and motor vehicle theft, were 2.1 percent fewer in 2007 according to the FBI stats.

A brief analysis of the crime statistics shows that the seeming rising trend of 2005 and 2006 – violent crimes rose 2.3 percent in ’05 and 1.9 percent in ‘06 – was just temporary and not the start of a undesired long-term trend of more crime.

The ‘05-’06 increase was blamed by experts on the increasing number of gangs, youth violence, more gun crimes and fewer police on the beat.

The decreasing number of violent crimes was described as "very encouraging" by Justice Department spokesman Peter Carr. However, he added that the figures might change a bit when the FBI releases final figures later this year.

"The report suggests that violent crime is decreasing and remains near historic low levels. Some communities, however, continue to face localized violent crime challenges," he said.

The current statistics released by the FBI could be hiding a rising murder rate among young black males, James Alan Fox, a criminal justice professor at Northeastern University, told The Associated Press.

As expected, the crime level decreased among whites of all ages, while rising amid black males. In his interview with the AP, Fox underlined the fact that, when all the numbers are blend together, the final result fails to show the divergences.

“There are many more whites in the population, so their decline can dwarf the increase among young black males," he said.