Crime might be down in the 76th Precinct, but so far, burglaries refuse to follow this overall trend.
Compared to last year, burglaries are up 24.3 percent, or 97 reported incidents compared to 78 in 2007, the most of the seven major categories of crime, police data shows.
For a 28-day period ending Nov. 2, burglaries are up 85.7 percent, with 13 incidents reported compared to seven for the same period in 2007.
Deputy Inspector Michael Kemper, the commanding officer of the precinct, which encompasses Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Red Hook, Boerum Hill and Gowanus, said he has been closely monitoring an active residential burglary pattern in Carroll Gardens.
Extra manpower deployed by the top cop seems to be working.
“It’s been dormant for a few weeks now,” he said.
He said most of the recent incidents were taking place during the day, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
“It was not a very sophisticated type of burglary,” Kemper said. In several cases, he said, the perpetrator entered through a door or window and grabbed readily available electronics.
No arrests have been made yet, Kemper said.
He recommended homeowners lock their windows, rather than just shutting them—which may thwart cold air, but not a cat burglar.
“In a few cases the windows were unlocked,” he noted.
Any suspicious activity should be reported to 911. If it appears that someone is casing a house—watching a property for an extended period, for a day or several days—call the police, Kemper recommended. Strangers walking down alleyways should not be ignored either—call the police.
“We need their eyes and ears,” he said of local residents.
For the year so far, overall crime is down .42 percent in the major categories of crime, with 478 incidents reported this year compared to 480 in 2007.
Robberies are down 23.4 percent; assaults are up 16.9 percent for the year, but flat in the past month; grand larceny is down 4.3 percent; and car thefts are down 35 percent, police statistics show.
There have been three rapes reported in 2008 compared to seven in 2007 for the same time period. Four murders have been committed in the precinct in 2008, compared to three in 2007, according to the data.
