Crime continued to decline in the 45th Precinct last year in five of the seven major categories, and once again almost led the city for a second year in crime reduction.
Overall crime dropped 8.5%, with 1,173 total major crimes reported in 2012, down from 1,282 in 2011.
Murder declined 66.7%, with two murders last year, compared to six in 2011. Robberies were down 11.7%, burglaries 20%, grand larceny 2% percent, and grand larceny auto 21.8%.
Shootings dropped 53%, from 17 people shot in 2011 to eight last year.
Over the past two years, precinct crime fell 18.6%.
“We are down 8 1/2 percent – you have got to be happy with that,” said Precinct Captain James McGeown. “We were number one in decrease in crime last year, and I think, second in decrease in crime this year, so we are basically leading the city for the past two years. Not that I can take all the credit for that. Obviously Deputy Inspector Green gets the lion share of the credit.”
Felony assaults rose 14.8%, while rape increased more than 30%.
McGeown said that four of the total of 17 rapes are age-related, while another seven have relatives involved. There were also special circumstances on a few of the rest of the reported rapes. The increase in felony assaults is primarily domestic violence, said McGeown.
In the past ten years or so, the NYPD and the precinct has seen a decline in manpower, which concerns 45th Precinct Community Council President Bob Bieder.
“With the shortage of officers being what it is for the last several years, the officers have been made to work a lot harder,” said Bieder.
Policing has gone from being preventative to reacting to crimes or patterns of crimes, he said, with officers being redeployed to sectors facing issues on a month-by-month basis. “It is not like we have enough officers that we can constantly have them everywhere,” said Bieder. “So, it is always reactive. And they assign where they can, where the need is.”
Patrick Rocchio can be reach via e-mail at procchio@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 742-3393
