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Crime dropping, but break-ins are up in 106th Precinct

Deputy Inspector Jeffrey Schiff, 106th Precinct commanding officer, addresses guests at the Oct. 14 106th Precinct Community Council meeting in Ozone Park.
THE COURIER/Photo by Ryan Haas

BY RYAN HAAS

Burglaries continue to be a problem throughout the 106th Precinct.

According to the NYPD’s CompStat data program, 23 break-ins occurred over the past month, an increase of nearly 44 percent at this time last year. In just the past week alone, the region has witnessed seven burglaries — up four incidents over this time period last year, according to the report.

During the Oct. 14 106th Precinct Community Council meeting in Ozone Park, Deputy Inspector Jeffrey Schiff, the precinct’s commander, urged residents to remain calm and take steps to protect their dwellings.

“We’re continuing to reduce crime within the precinct,” said Schiff, who prefaced comments on burglaries by giving a brief description of the precinct’s total crime. “I told you last week we were up by 2 percent; this week we’re up by only 1 percent — that’s an increase of just 12 crimes for the year.”

“It’s very doable that we can beat this year,” he added when pointing to the total crime numbers. “We just have to be very hyper-vigilant, and very reactive and responsive to the crime conditions.”

Schiff also recounted a recent armed robbery in Ozone Park, when a suspect approached a 55-year-old male from behind and attempted to snatch his neck chain while both were standing at the intersection of 103rd Avenue and 107th Street.

The suspect, who has yet to be caught, fled the scene. He pulled out a black firearm when the victim resisted the robbery, and struck the man in the head and face with his gun. The suspect removed the victim’s neck chain valued at a total of $500.