Expect to see more blue amongst all the green in Marine Park.
A recent spate of crime at Marine Park has led to an increased police presence, according to state Sen. Marty Golden. He said the 63rd Precinct will assign more officers, uniformed and undercover, to patrol the park after concerns expressed by the community. Park police will also be increasing patrols, he said.
“The community is alarmed, and rightfully so,” said Golden. “But the police are going to deal not only with the increase in crime, but also the perception of the increase. Marine Park is still a safe neighborhood.”
Police recently made arrests connected to three robberies in the park, two involving threats with an air pistol.
Cops are still searching for three men, one armed with a gun, who allegedly robbed four teenagers hanging out in the park on the night of July 27. The trio allegedly made off with two iPhones, one debit card, and an unspecified amount of cash. The Carmine Carro Community Center was vandalized on Aug. 2, with several letters stolen from the buildings sign.
One neighborhood resident said that the park is still safe than it used to be, but agreed that more police are necessary to keep it that way.
“The park is still safe, but a lax police presence could be a return to the bad old days,” said Brett Allen. “You haven’t seen many cops in the park the last few years.”
But not everyone in the area feel so confident. Many fear-gripped park patrons and neighborhood residents took their concerns to Facebook over the last few weeks. Hundreds of posts appeared on Golden’s Facebook page and other pages related to Marine Park, as anxiety vented in the form of blame, targeting the 63rd Precinct, and Mayor DeBlasio’s halting of “stop-and-frisk” police tactics.
Burglaries, grand larcenies, and robberies are down this year in the 63rd Precinct, but shootings are up, according to official statistics. There were five shooting incidents, with six victims, in the precinct at this point last year. There have been 11 incidents and 12 victims so far this year. Golden said that robberies are up specifically in the park, but that he expects the numbers to return to the long-time average with the stepped up police presence.
“When you take a look at the numbers, I think we will see it leveling off and the statistics working in our favor,” Golden said.
