Boston Police released the first quarter crime stats for Jamaica Plain and while there’s a one percent decrease in Part One Crime in the neighborhood the data shows that car breaks have increased dramatically in the neighborhood.
Part One Crimes are the more serious crimes the Boston Police keep track of and when comparing January, 2020 through May, 2020 with the same time period of 2019 Larceny from Motor Vehicles have risen 64 percent in the first quarter of 2020 in Jamaica Plain. .
In the first quarter of 2019 there were only 42 motor vehicle larcenies but that number has increased to 69 so far this year. It seems the number of motor vehicle largencies, an opportunistic crime that only takes seconds to pull off, is up all over Boston.
Citywide the number has gone from 777 in the first quarter of 2019 to 981–an increase of over 25 percent.
After three recent arrests of criminals breaking into cars the Boston Police released a statement.
“The Department obviously takes great pride in the fact that arrests were made in all three incidents, we would, nevertheless, like to take this opportunity to remind community members to employ common sense preventative measures to protect items of value when exiting their vehicles,” said the statement. “As simple as it may sound, protecting your motor vehicle from a break-in starts with locking the doors and closing windows. Simple? Yes. But, highly effective.”
In fact, simple steps can often spell the difference between your car being broken into and the would-be thief moving on to another, more desirable target.
“More than anything else, thieves look for the easy score,” said the police. “So, don’t make it easy. If you have items of value, be it a cell phone, charger, money or iPad, take them with you when you exit your car. Because if a thief can see it, you can be sure he or she will do everything they can to steal it.”
As always, if you observe any unusual activity or observe a car theft or a break-in in progress, don’t hesitate to call 9-1-1.