On Thursday, March 1, the Jamaica Plain branch 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, 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 5 percent across the city, but only 1 percent in Jamaica Plain. So far this year, the neighborhood reported 105 crimes, up from 104 in 2021. Districts that experienced more crime were Brighton, Dorchester, Downtown, Mattapan, Roxbury, South Boston and South End. Districts that saw less crime were Charlestown, East Boston, Hyde Park and West Roxbury.
Part One crimes that saw an uptick in Jamaica Plain compared to 2021 were non-domestic aggravated assault, residential burglary, larceny from a motor vehicle and auto theft. Crimes that saw a decrease include domestic aggravated assault, commercial burglary and other larceny. The numbers for homicide, rape and robbery remained the same.
Another graph showed the number of fatal and nonfatal shootings. Overall shootings are down almost 12 percent in the city compared to last year. Jamaica Plain has had no shootings in 2022. Only Dorchester, East Boston, Mattapan, Roxbury and South Boston have had shootings this year.
The arrest rate is up in the city, from 34 percent of reported crimes resulting in arrests to 44 percent.
“Our mission is community policing,” Sgt. Dougherty said. “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 April 7. All residents interested in public safety are encouraged to attend.