Despite a drop in crime across the borough, police officials say there is a growing problem with burglaries and home invasions in the area.
The heads of the Patrol Borough Queens North and South met with Borough President Helen Marshall two weeks ago and presented their recent crime statistics.
Both commands reported a drop in overall crimes from the same period last year, according to Marshall. The commanders said their precincts have seen a slight increase in home robberies during the last couple of months.
“Burglary seems to be the bellwether crime in Queens North,” Patrol Borough Queens North Commander Diana Pizzuti said.
As of Sunday, Queens North had 5,546 crimes in 2009 compared to 6,166 during the same period last year. In Queens South, there were 4,682 reported crimes this year, which is roughly 15 percent less than 5,538 crimes reported during the same time in 2008.
Patrol Borough Queens South Chief Thomas Dale said his district, which has seen a huge number of home foreclosures, has also had a surge in home break-ins, but he said his officers were pursuing three suspects wanted for the burglaries in his zone.
He added that this year’s gun buyback program in the Rockaways was a major success, collecting more than 1,000 weapons.
— Ivan Pereira
