On Thursday, May 5, the Jamaica Plain branch of the Boston Police Department hosted its monthly community relations meeting. The meeting is an opportunity for residents 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 7 percent across the city, and 4 percent in Jamaica Plain. Districts that experienced a greater increase in crime were Hyde Park (36%), West Roxbury (27%), Downtown (13%), Brighton (9%), Dorchester (6%) and South End (5%). Districts that saw a smaller increase in crime or a reduction were South Boston (2%), Mattapan (1%), Roxbury (-1%) and East Boston (-6%).
Part One crimes that saw an uptick in Jamaica Plain compared to 2021 were homicide, rape, domestic assault, burglary and larceny from a vehicle. Crimes that saw a decrease included non-domestic assault, other larceny and auto theft. The number of robberies remained the same (6).
Another graph showed the number of fatal and nonfatal shootings. The number of shootings in the city is down 24 percent. It was unchanged in Jamaica Plain, with three shootings in 2021 and 2022. Districts that saw a reduction in shootings included Dorchester, Hyde Park, Mattapan and Roxbury.
The arrest rate is up in the city, from 40 percent of reported crimes resulting in arrests to over 44 percent.
Sgt. Dougherty encourages residents to contact the district with any concerns regarding public safety.
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 June 2. All residents interested in community policing are encouraged to attend.