"All of the law enforcement agencies in the valley have seen the methamphetamine problem drive robberies, aggravated assaults, car burglaries and thefts," Henderson police spokesman Keith Paul said.

Las Vegas police reported a 32.2 percent rise in violent crimes in the city and unincorporated Clark County in 2006, according to FBI statistics released Monday. Henderson had a 31.9 percent increase in the categories of murder, rape, robbery and assault, and North Las Vegas police reported a 12.4 percent rise.

The numbers far exceeded the 1 percent national increase in violent crime rate per 100,000 residents, and showed crime rates continuing a two-year upward trend since 2004.

"A lot of big cities in America are seeing the same challenge," said Sheriff Doug Gillespie, who heads the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. "We see a younger, more violent segment of our society that is quicker to resort to violence."

Nationally, murders in 2006 increased by 1.8 percent over the previous year. In cities of more than 1 million people, however, murders jumped by 6.8 percent. The number of robberies and arson also rose, while the number of rapes and car thefts dropped, FBI data show.

All three departments also recorded nearly double the national rate of auto thefts, although each improved slightly from 2005.

Las Vegas police saw armed robbery rates skyrocket 50 percent and the aggravated assault rate climb more than 23 percent. Rapes rose nearly 14 percent, and homicides were up about 2 percent.

In Henderson, rates for all major crimes except auto theft were below the national average for cities its size.

In North Las Vegas, violent crime rates surpassed those of similar-sized departments across the country. Police spokesman Sean Walker said the data could be tied to the city's status as one of the fastest growing in the nation.

"We're having a lot of people move to our city, and it creates more opportunities for people to be victimized," Walker said.

Property crime rates in North Las Vegas were mixed, with burglaries well above the national average but thefts far below.

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