By Laura Plummer
On Thursday, May 6, District E13 of the Boston Police Department hosted its monthly virtual police and community relations meeting.
The meeting is an opportunity for members of the public to ask questions of local law enforcement. At every meeting, E-13 officers provide local crime statistics. One chart examines Part One crime data. Part One crimes are more serious in nature, and don’t include crimes such as vandalism or drug dealing.
Part One crime distinguishes between burglary, robbery and larceny. Burglary involves accessing a residence or business unlawfully with the intent to remove items. Robbery is taking items off one’s person by force or intimidation. Larceny doesn’t involve force, and includes shoplifting, pickpocketing, stealing lawn items or taking items out of a vehicle.
According to the summary, Part One crime in Boston is down 24 percent in the city compared to this time last year. Jamaica Plain is beating that with a reduction of 28 percent. There were 282 crimes reported in 2020 and only 202 reported this year.
Crimes that saw a decrease include rape, robbery, domestic and non-domestic assault, commercial burglary, larceny from a motor vehicleand other larceny. Crimes that saw an uptick include residential burglary and auto theft. The homicide instance of zero remained the same.
A second chart compared the statistics of fatal and nonfatal shootings from 2020 to 2021. Out of the twelve precincts, JP ranked seventh in shootings, accounting for six percent of total shootings in the city. There have been three shootings this year compared to eight last year, a reduction of 62.5 percent.
The May 6 meeting was the last to be hosted by Officer William Jones, who is retiring at the end of the month after serving the community for almost three decades. Taking over for him at the police and community relations meeting will be Sgt. John Dougherty and Officer Patricia Darosa.
The police and community relations meeting is held on the first Thursday of the month at 6:30pm on Zoom. The next meeting will be on Thursday, June 3. All members of the public interested in public safety are encouraged to attend.