While remaining a relatively active precinct, crime continues to decrease within the 67th Precinct, according to the latest police statistics.
“Last year was the [precinct’s] lowest in major crime categories, but with the command staff and officers out there, we’re down 217 crimes for the year,” Deputy Inspector Corey Pegues said at the recent community council meeting.
Of the major crime categories including murder, rape, robbery, felony assault, burglary, grand larcenies and auto theft, only murders and felony assaults are up for the year.
There have been 13 reported murders in the precinct so far this year as compared to 12 at this time in 2008 and 329 reported felony assaults so far in 2009 as compared to 306 at this time last year.
Pegues said homicides are hard for police to prevent as they tend to be random crimes.
Last year, the precinct had 18 homicides for the year, the most in Patrol Borough Brooklyn South, and Pegues is hoping to improve on that number by the end of the year.
Things are still much better than 1990, when the precinct recorded 54 murders, he said.
Pegues said most of the felony assaults stem from domestic violence and not from random assaults on the street.
“More important is last year we had 62 shootings for all year, and now we have 47 so far this year as compared to 46 at this time last year, and I’m pretty confident with some innovative plans down the pike we can beat the 62,” he said.
Pegues said cops have also made 118 gun arrests for the year, and credited the hard work of cops on the street along with the good relationship between police and the community for the overall 13 percent drop in crime for the year.
Among the violent incidents were two shootings during the all-night Juvet celebration, held the night before the annual West Indian Labor Day parade. Pegues said cops also pulled 10 guns off the street that night – six by the plainclothes gang division and four by uniformed police.
One of the biggest drops in crime for the year is grand larceny which has fallen nearly 30 percent. There have been 323 reported grand larcenies so far in 2009 as compared to 460 at this time last year.
Robberies have fallen nearly 21 per4cent with 282 incidents reported so far this year as compared to 355 at this time in 2008.
Auto theft is down about 11 percent with 177 incidents reported so far in 2009 as compared to 198 at this time last year.
Burglary is down about four percent with 281 reported incidents for the year as compared to 292 at this time last year.
Pegues expressed confidence that with proactive policing and good communications with the community the precinct will continue to have another crime reduction when the year is over.
