I don't get the impression that that's what they're saying.
I get the impression that they agree, but that it's literally the quoting of crime statistics to highlight a problem that feels bad to them.

Which I can understand. It invites quibbling over statistics and somehow distances you from the point being made because it highlights a pattern but leaves the conclusion up to the listener.

This in no way speaks against the statistic, the conclusion or the problem. Just commiserating that statistics have been used to mislead so often that it can feel bad to use them, even if entirely justified.