Oil prices might be up, but crime continues to fall in the 78th Precinct, police statistics show.
“We are having a good year,” said Deputy Inspector John Argenziano, the commanding officer of the precinct said at the May meeting of the 78th Precinct Community Council.
For the year so far, according to police statistics, the precinct, which encompasses Park Slope and Windsor Terrace, crime is down 12.3 percent in the major categories of crime, with 299 incidents reported this year compared to 341 in 2007.
Most crime categories are down, police statistics show.
Robberies are down 20 percent; assaults down 16.6, grand larceny down 9.4 percent, and car thefts down an impressive 42.8 percent, police statistics show.
Burglaries are up a slight 4.5 percent, and there have been three rapes reported in 2008 compared to two in 2007.
There have been no murders yet reported in the precinct.
In a 28-day period ending May 25, the data is less sunny: Burglaries are up 66.6 percent, with 15 reported compared to nine in 2007; robberies were up 20 percent, with 12 reported in 2008 compared to 10 last year; and grand larcenies are up 9.3 percent, with 35 reported this year compared to 32 last year.
Argenziano said he made sure his cops were a visible presence walking the beat, a tactic that has already yielded results.
For the week ending May 25, police statistics show, there were zero robberies, assaults, and car thefts. Crime, for the week, plummeted 43.8 percent compared to 2007.
The top cop also urged motorists to remove any valuable items from their car, including computers and global positioning systems—so as not to tempt those seeking a free technology upgrade.
