Major crime declined again in the South Bay and Harbor Area in 2009, dropping nearly 6 percent from the previous year.

The beach cities, however, did not fare as well. El Segundo, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach joined Gardena as the cities with increases from 2008 to 2009.

"We really couldn't put our finger on any particular reason," Manhattan Beach Police Chief Rod Uyeda said.

The statistics are based on the California Crime Index, which measures the number of felony crimes reported in six categories: homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and auto theft.

Beach city police officials said they were not alarmed because their crime numbers are still small, but they have discussed the increase at meetings.

"When the numbers are small it doesn't take much to move them to make a difference," Hermosa Beach Police Chief Greg Savelli said.

In El Segundo, where crime numbers are comparatively low, the city's 20 percent increase was directly tied to a 40 percent increase in burglaries - 148 to 208.

El Segundo police Capt. Mitch Tavera said many of the burglaries were thefts of bicycles and property from carports.

Manhattan Beach police recently announced the arrests of two people suspected of stealing bicycles and high-end strollers from homes.

Police officials also are questioning whether the down economy has played a role in property crime going up.

"We are concerned that the economy has caused a lot of people to resort to criminal activity to survive," said Savelli, whose city showed a 32 percent increase in overall crime, an uptick in each of the six categories.

Uyeda said police wonder whether people are seeking free activities, such as going to the beach, and the crowds are leading to more crime.

Savelli said his city also is down five officers whose jobs are frozen because of the budget situation.

"It may have an influence on our crime rate," he said.

Tavera said the early part of 2010 appears to be showing an improvement. Crime is heading downward in the first quarter.

Other cities showed declines, including Carson, Torrance, the Palos Verdes Peninsula, Lawndale, Lomita, Hawthorne and the Harbor Area, which includes San Pedro, Wilmington, Harbor City and Harbor Gateway.

Carson's homicide total, often in double digits, dropped to six from 11, following a reduction in gang crime in recent years.

The Los Angeles Police Department's Harbor Division, recorded a 13.8 percent drop, aligning itself with the entire agency, which in January reported that crime in the city of Los Angeles fell for the seventh straight year.

Homicide and rape rose in the Harbor Area, but assault, burglary, auto theft and robbery went down.

Although not reflected in these statistics, vehicle break-ins continue to be an areawide problem. Burglars prey on motorists who leave laptop computers, cellular telephones and other property in plain view on their seats.

Police urge people to lock their belongings away.

Across the South Bay and Harbor Area, rape and burglary went up. Homicide, robbery, assault and auto theft were down.

The overall drop was consistent with trends across the nation, where crime has been dropping for years. The FBI said in December that crime figures for the first half of 2009 showed crime falling across the country, despite high unemployment, foreclosures and layoffs.

Major crime in the South Bay and Harbor Area continues to be far below the numbers reported in the 1990 s. In 2009, the number of reported crimes was 56 percent less than in 1999.