Queens Takes A Bite Out Of Crime

The streets are getting increasingly secure and the communities in Queens are amongst the most safe and sound, as it was reported this week that crime all over the country has continued to drop with the borough one of the top examples of the turnaround.
According to the annual FBI report, crime in the United States has dropped for a record eighth consecutive year across the nation. All major crimes dropped 7.6 percent, while murder fell 8 percent to its lowest level since 1966. But while the country boasts its record declining numbers, they compare little to the astronomical drops in crime the borough of Queens has been able to maintain.
"Crime in Queens has been cut considerably over the last year and the decade," said police spokesman, Detective Robert Samuels. "The numbers are impressive."
According to the NYPD records, both sections of Queens, (North and South) have seen steady improvements in their precincts. Since Oct. 15 of last year, they have seen overall decreases in crime of 10 and 5 percent respectively. However it is the violent crime statistics, consisting of murder, rape, robbery and assault, that have Queens ahead of the pack. While North stayed relatively the same in this respect, due to an increase in murders, violent crime in the southern region of Queens helped the borough maintain an overall decrease of more than a 10-percentage point drop. Finally, over the last seven years, overall crime in Queens has decreased by an astounding margin of 59 percent.
"It feels good being able to walk out at night and not have to worry, at least as much about being a target," said Nicole Bettis of Jamaica. "I don’t know if I feel safer because it actually is safer or if it’s because I’ve heard about how crime has gone down so much. But even if it is just in the mind, it’s a feeling I’d rather have when I’m outside my house."
Councilman Sheldon Leffler credits the decade’s decrease in crime to a number of reasons, including almost a doubling of police officers, tougher sentences, reduced drug use, improved technology, and increased safety measures such as gun safety locks. "All of these things combined have made it possible for crime to go down," Leffler said. "You not only have to punish the criminals, but make the appropriate steps so that others don’t do the same." He continued, "The right steps are being taken and this borough has shown they are committed to fighting crime."
While murders did increase in Queens North, Leffler said they were for the most part unusual cases such as the Wendy’s massacre and that those numbers will likely go down in the near future.