By Ivan Pereira
Crime has hit southeast Queens hard over the last year and the officers at the 113th Precinct have been grappling with a large share of that surge, police statistics show.
The station house had a 6.83 percent increase in overall crime with 2,033 reported incidents in 2010 compared to 1,903 crimes the year before, according to the latest Police Department statistics through Dec. 19.
The precinct covers the neighborhoods of St. Albans, Hollis, Springfield Gardens, South Ozone Park, South Jamaica, Addisleigh Park and Locust Manor. Those neighborhoods have seen an increase in violent incidents, including homicides, the statistics show.
There were 19 reported murders this year, a 50.3 percent increase from the 12 killings in 2009, the NYPD said. Many of those homicides were shootings and several have remained unsolved, according to the police.
One of those open cases include the Oct. 11 murder of Tony McFadden. The 26-year-old was shot at his doorstep in Jamaica after a man rang his doorbell and asked for him, according to police. The fugitive had not been caught as of press time Tuesday.
Investigators and elected officials said an increased gang presence in southeast Queens was responsible for the sharp rise in murders.
Homicides were not the only crime category to see an increase this year, the statistics showed.
Burglary was up 29.2 percent in 2010, with 407 reported incidents this year compared to 315 during the same period last year, according to the NYPD.
There were 338 reported felony assault incidents this year compared to 316 in 2009, an increase of 7 percent, the statistics showed.
Auto theft crimes increased from 247 last year to 261 in 2010, or roughly 5.7 percent, according to police.
The number of grand larceny incidents also increased by 1.4 percent with 639 reported incidents this year compared to 630 last year, according to the NYPD.
But not all the crime sectors were up in 2010, the NYPD said.
The number of reported rapes decreased from 29 in 2009 to 26 this year, a drop of 10.3 percent, according to the statistics.
Robberies were also down 3.1 percent with 343 crimes this year compared to 354 in 2009, the NYPD said.
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4546.
