By Alex Davidson
Numbers also show a 100 percent jump in the number of rapes, from one to two reported cases, and a 4 percent rise in burglaries to 25 from 24 in January vs. the same time span last year.
For the first month of the year, there were 29 robberies on record in the 102nd Precinct, which is headquartered in Richmond Hill and covers the communities of Ozone Park, part of South Ozone Park and Woodhaven, according to the statistics. So far for the year, there has been an 11 percent jump in robberies compared to 26 reported last year, the numbers show.
A spokesman for the New York Police Department said the increase in rapes is due to the varying degrees of the cases, which include everything from statutory rapes to forced rape, and from better increased reporting of the crimes. He said some of the reported rapes are declassified or charges are dropped on further investigation.
The overall number of criminal incidents in the 102nd Precinct for January were up 2.36 percent despite a 12 percent drop in the number of grand larcenies and a 2 percent decline in the number of auto thefts, the statistics showed. During the last two years, the precinct has posted a 23 percent decrease in the total number of crimes in its jurisdiction, the numbers revealed.
There have so far been no murders reported in the precinct, the statistics show. Five murders were reported in 2002, but the statistics on the New York Police Department Web site have been updated to give total murders in 2003.
On a larger scale, the statistics pointed out there has been an 80 percent drop in the number of total criminal incidents for the first six weeks of 2004 in 2004 compared to 1993. That percentage is bolstered by an 80 percent fall in burglaries and an 88 percent decrease in auto thefts, according to the statistics.
Reach reporter Alex Davidson by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by calling 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.
