By Ivan Pereira
The three precincts covering southeast Queens saw significant declines in the number of murders in 2011, but those gains have been overshadowed by the increase in other crime sectors in the area, police statistics show.
The 103rd Precinct recorded a small drop in crime, while the 105th and 113th precincts had increases in overall crimes between 2010 and 2011, according to the latest information from the NYPD. Unlike 2010, when each station house had more than a dozen reported homicides, killings in neighborhoods such as Jamaica, St. Albans, Springfield Gardens and Hollis declined last year.
Rapes, however, surged in southeast Queens last year, as officers continued to hunt for at least two suspects wanted in a string of sex attacks that took place since the fall.
The 103rd Precinct, which covers the neighborhoods of downtown Jamaica, Hollis Park Gardens, Hollis, Lakewood and Jamaica, had a 1.3 percent decrease in overall crime with 1,697 reported incidents in 2011 compared to 1,719 in the prior year, according to the NYPD.
Murders in the precinct dropped from 15 reported incidents in 2010 to 11 last year for a 26.7 percent decrease, while auto thefts also went down by 6.1 percent from 426 incidents two years ago to 400 in 2011, the NYPD said. But reported rapes in the precinct shot up 76.2 percent last year with 37 cases compared to 21 in 2011.
The 105th Precinct, which covers the second-largest area in the city and includes the neighborhoods of Queens Village, Cambria Heights, Laurelton, Rosedale, Springfield Gardens, Bellerose, Glen Oaks, New Hyde Park and Floral Park, saw overall crime go up 8.4 percent in 2011 with 2,019 incidents last year compared to 1,863 in 2011, according to the police stats.
Murder was the only crime category that fell last year, as reported homicides went from 15 in 2010 to five last year for a 66.7 percent drop, according to the NYPD. Burglary surged nearly 25 percent in 2011 with 493 incidents, compared to 395 in the previous year. Rapes in the precinct’s jurisdiction also went up from 18 in 2010 to 27 last year, an increase of 50 percent, according to the NYPD.
The 113th Precinct, which covers the neighborhoods of St. Albans, Hollis, Springfield Gardens, South Ozone Park, South Jamaica, Addisleigh Park and Locust Manor, had a slight increase in the number of reported crimes with 2,365 incidents last year, compared to 2,147 incidents in 2010 for an uptick of 10.2 percent, the statistics show.
Homicides dropped 15.8 percent with 16 reported killings in 2011, which was three less than in 2010, the NYPD said. Rape incidents in the precinct’s jurisdiction increased from 26 in 2010 to 29 last year, an 11.5 percent uptick, according to the stats.
The crime category with the largest increase was felony assaults that went up 35.8 percent from 355 reported incidents in 2010 to 482 last year, the NYPD said.
Despite the increases in the various crime categories, representatives from each of the precincts said they have had an increase in the number of arrests of suspects.
Donna Clopton, president of the 103rd Precinct Community Council, said residents are turning to new technology to help police solve crimes.
“A lot more people are installing cameras and that helps us find the criminals faster,” she said.
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4546.
