On Thursday, April 7, the Jamaica Plain branch of the Boston Police Department hosted its monthly virtual community relations meeting, where it was revealed that JP is one of only two districts that have not reported shootings this year.
The meeting is an opportunity for members of the public to ask questions of local law enforcement. At every meeting, Sgt. John Dougherty provides year-to-date crime statistics compiled by the Boston Regional Intelligence Center. One chart examines Part One crimes, the most serious in nature.
Part One crime is up 3 percent across the city but is down 5 percent in Jamaica Plain. So far this year, the neighborhood reported 168 crimes, down from 177 in 2021. Districts that experienced more crime were Brighton, Dorchester, Downtown, Hyde Park, Mattapan, South Boston, South End and West Roxbury. Districts that saw less crime were East Boston, Charlestown and Roxbury.
Part One crimes that saw an uptick in Jamaica Plain compared to 2021 were rape, domestic assault, residential burglary, and larceny from a vehicle. Crimes that saw a decrease include robbery, non-domestic assault, commercial burglary, other larceny and auto theft. The homicide rate (0) was unchanged.
Another graph showed the number of fatal and nonfatal shootings. Overall shootings remained the same in the city compared to last year (34), but Jamaica Plain accounts for none of those. The only other neighborhood with no shootings this year is the South End. Dorchester and Roxbury both had eight shootings this year.
The arrest rate is up in the city, from 40 percent of reported crimes resulting in arrests to over 44 percent.
“Our mission is community policing,” Sgt. Dougherty said in an email to the Gazette. “Everyone is welcome to contact us about any incidents or public safety issues.”
The police and community relations meeting is on the first Thursday of the month at 6:30 pm on Zoom. The next meeting will be on May 5. All residents interested in public safety are encouraged to attend.