By Ivan Pereira
The 113th Precinct has seen a significant drop in murder, rape, robbery and other crimes, and the head of the precinct’s community council credited neighborhood residents with the success.
Overall crime in the precinct declined nearly 15 percent over the year with 1,935 reported incidents in the neighborhoods of St. Albans, Springfield Gardens, South Jamaica, Addisleigh Park and Locust Manor, compared to 2,254 crimes in 2008, according to Police Department statistics released Dec. 20.
Vivian McMillian, who heads the 113th Community Council, said she was impressed with the hard work the officers have done to keep the streets safe, but she noted that the squad greatly benefited from neighborhood support over the year.
“They are telling us more about what they see. They try to help when they are questioned more. People are growing more tired of the violence on the street,” she said.
McMillian noted the outspoken outrage that southeast Queens residents had after Campus Magnet student Kevin Miller was shot near the school in September. The 13-year-old was on the opposite side of Springfield Boulevard when he was shot in the head from a gun fired by two suspected gang members who were allegedly fighting rivals, investigators said.
“The community is really fed up,” the precinct council president said.
The outreach and police work have paid off, according to NYPD statistics. Murder went down 20 percent this year, with 12 reported homicides compared to 15 killings last year. There were 28 reported rape cases in 2009, a 22 percent drop from the 36 reported rapes last year. Reported robbery incidents fell 9.5 percent to 361 reported incidents compared to 399 in 2008.
McMillian said the precinct would push for more community involvement in the New Year and for other anti-crime programs. The Queens district attorney’s office and several police precincts conducted a gun buy-back program earlier in 2009 that got thousands of illegal weapons off the streets.
“It helped a lot. I hope we can do that again,” she said.
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 146.
