By Ivan Pereira
The 103rd Precinct has been hit with a string of homicides in 2010, but recent police statistics show the southeast Queens station house saw improvements in other crimes such as rapes, burglaries and assaults.
The precinct, which oversees the neighborhoods of Jamaica, Hollis Park Gardens, Hollis and Lakewood, had a total of 1,646 reported crimes in 2010, according to the latest Police Department statistics for the period through Dec. 19.
During the same span last year, there were 1,691 incidents, roughly 2.66 percent more than this year, the statistics show.
Like the other station houses in southeast Queens, however, the neighborhoods in the 103rd precinct saw a surge in murders throughout the year. In 2010, there were 14 reported homicides, a 27.3 percent increase from the same time last year when there were 11 killings, the NYPD said.
Many of the homicides have been unsolved and involved shootings. Investigators and elected officials say a rise in gang activity is behind the sharp increase in violence.
The 103rd has also seen a rise in robbery over the last 12 months.
This year there were 462 reported incidents, a 23.5 percent increase from the 374 robberies in 2009, according to police statistics. Robberies have been on the upswing for the last two years, statistics show, with 455 reported incidents in 2008.
Despite the increases in two major crime categories, the 103rd precinct had fewer reported incidents in many sectors.
The number of rapes recorded the largest decrease among the crime categories. This year there were 22 incidents reported compared to 32 in 2009, a 31.2 percent drop, the NYPD said.
Burglary decreased 15.6 percent over the last 12 months with 244 reported incidents in 2010 compared to 374 incidents last year, statistics show.
Felony assault went from 374 reported incidents last year to 332 crimes in 2010, a change of 11.2 percent, according to statistics.
The number of grand larceny incidents decreased 8.4 percent with 405 reported crimes this year compared to 442 crimes in 2009, according to the NYPD.
Auto theft also dropped slightly with 167 reported thefts in 2010 compared to 169 the year before, a decline of 1.2 percent, according to statistics.
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4546.
