The number of robberies surged 12.4 percent to 1,508 cases in the January-April period, the National Police Agency said Wednesday.

While crime overall fell 4.9 percent to around 535,000 incidents in the four-month period, NPA statistics show that robberies experienced a rise over the previous year.

Some have noted that the increase in robberies is mirroring the jump in unemployment. The jobless rate stood at 4.1 percent in January, 4.4 percent in February and 4.8 percent in March.