DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) –  With Chief David Brown at the helm of the Dallas Police Department, crime rates have continued to drop. Violent crime has dropped for 10 consecutive years and crime overall has dropped for a record eight years.

But is the trend finally over?

Chief David Brown says no. A crime report to be presented to Dallas City Council Tuesday shows overall crime dropped 5.6 percent, but violent crime increased 18.5 percent through the end of February compared to the same time last year.

"If you fast forward to what is happening in March, compared to what happened in February, it's really encouraging," said Chief Brown.

Crime numbers for March have not yet been released but Brown says they are already improving.

"In February where violent crime was up 18 percent, today violent crime is only up five percent, so we've had a 13 percent swing to the positive," Brown said.

The report, which shows the number of crimes through February 29, 2012, showed the most alarming increase was in the number of robberies, which rose 28.3 percent in that time period compared to last year.

Chief Brown said police are focusing on the bringing the number of robberies down.

Police arrested Horace Jones Jr. Saturday morning.

Jones Jr. had recently bonded out of jail then began a violent crime spree. Police say Jones and another man kidnapped a woman and then forced her to withdraw money from several ATMs. In the process, police say, they shot and potentially paralyzed a 23 year old man.

"These criminals are going to bond out and they are going to be back on our streets just because of the capacity to house people," Brown said. "But I think it's important to note the department has focused on as much as we can putting these people back in jail if they continue to commit crime."

Non-violent crimes such as burglary and theft fell 8.4 percent.

"The takeaway is crime is down. Murders are down 16 percent. That's significant because that's the lowest murder rate in modern era in Dallas," Brown said.

Chief Brown said it's still early in the year and he's confident the department will find ways to continue to cut crime.