By Phil Corso
The 111th Precinct topped out 2012 with a slight uptick in crime, mostly due to an end-of-the-year jump in burglaries, police said.
The precinct, which covers Bayside, Little Neck, Douglaston and parts of Auburndale, recorded a severe spike in burglaries in the final weeks of 2012, contributing to the year’s increase in crime of roughly 4.5 percent when compared to 2011, statistics showed.
By year’s end, 242 burglaries were recorded throughout the 111th Precinct to beat out the 2011 number of 203. But since the new year, police said several arrests have been made to curb the spike in burglaries in neighborhoods like Bayside and Douglaston with wealthy homeowners residing close to major highways.
The burglary pattern reached as many as 20 cases in a one-week span at the end of November between Northern Boulevard and the Long Island Expressway, police said.
“These were very active crews,” said 111th Precinct Commanding Officer Jason Huerta. “In the end, this costs us the year in crime.”
In 2013 so far, the precinct recorded a total of four burglaries — one less than the same seven-day period in 2012, statistics showed.
The only other crime out of the seven major categories to increase more than burglaries by the end of 2012 was felony assaults, which increased 24.5 percent with 61 total incidents compared to 49 last year, Huerta said.
According to crime statistics, the 111th Precinct finished 2012 with one murder, six rapes, 73 robberies, 61 felony assaults, 242 burglaries, 393 grand larcenies and 97 grand larceny autos. Added up, there were a total 37 more crimes when compared to the year 2011, mostly due to the late increase in burglaries, the 111th Precinct said.
Historically, the numbers added up to a lighter year in crime than in years past, police said.
In notable crimes over the past year, an incident in Oakland Gardens garnered most attention when police shot and killed a man who was seen using a knife to stab his wife and then himself.
According to police, officers responded to 911 calls May 10 to find 50-year-old Samuel Rivers wielding a knife after using it on his wife and also threatening to use it on himself. After he refused to drop his weapon, officers shot Rivers in the neck and chest, killing him, police said.
Crime in the 111th Precinct has continued to drop overall over several years since 1990, with only minor bumps through the present, including this year’s slight uptick. When compared to 10 years ago, 2012 saw a nearly 43 percent decrease in crime from 1,528 in 2001 to 873 in 2013 with car thefts curbed the most by nearly 85 percent.
The biggest jump over the last decade came in the rape category, with two rapes recorded in 2001 compared to last year’s six, statistics showed.
Reach reporter Phil Corso by e-mail at pcorso@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4573.
