Car sales may be down nationwide, but car thefts in the 78th Precinct skyrocketed in January.
But the “massive increase” may have been just a wintery aberration, the top cop at the 78th Precinct said last week.
“To everyone’s relief, it’s back to normal,” said Deputy Inspector John Argenziano told the 78th Precinct Community Council at its Feb. 24 meeting.
For a 28 day period ending Feb. 22 there were four reported car thefts, the same number as in 2008, according to New York City Police Department statistics.
Before that, things were less rosy. According to police data, there were 10 car thefts as of Feb. 1, compared to just one for the same period, ending Feb.1, last year – a 900 percent increase from the year previous.
“The problem was,” he explained, “We did a great job in 2008.”
“The massive increase in [car thefts] is no more,” Argenziano continued.
For the year so far, overall crime is up 6.7 percent in the precinct, which encompasses Park Slope and Windsor Terrace, with 111 incidents reported this year compared to 104 in 2008.
Still, most crime categories are down, police statistics show.
Robberies have fallen 5.6 percent; assaults down 33.3 percent, and burglaries down 24.1 percent. There have been no murders or rapes yet reported in 2009, police statistics show.
Grand larcenies are up 25.6 percent, with 54 incidents reported compared to 43 in 2008. For the year, car thefts are up 200 percent, with 12 reported compared to four for the same period in 2008.
