By: Jeff Lipton
Led by an appreciable decrease in felonious assault, serious crime in the Five Towns plummeted more than 23 percent from 2002 to 2003.
The number of major crimes fell from 313 between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2002, to 240 for the same 12-month span last year, according to year-end crime statistics released last week by 4th Precinct police. Major crime is considered to be murder, rape, robbery, burglary, assault and auto theft.
The number of assaults registered the most noticeable decrease, dropping from 73 to 24, a whopping 67 percent decline. Burglaries fell 14.4 percent, from 111 in 2002 to 95 in 2003, and robberies went down 19.1 percent, from 47 to 38. The number of murders saw a decrease from two to one, and the number of rapes declined from six to two.
The only crime category that saw a jump was auto theft, which increased 8 percent, from 74 to 80.
As police precincts continue to battle for their share of resources, crime in the Five Towns continues to spiral downward. In 2002, crime statistics showed a 17 percent decrease from the previous year, the number of incidents dipping from 377 to 313.
Although the numbers have declined, 4th Precinct police officials said the area is by no means crime-free. We-re very happy with the numbers, but we still had 95 burglaries [in 2003], and even though crime is down over here, it should be a concern of ours, said Deputy Inspector James O-Leary of the 4th Precinct. We want to make the Five Towns a better place than even before.
Robberies is a concern of ours because of the violent nature associated with the crime, he added. And we [directed] a number of resources to that.
Nassau County police have held community forums every two months starting in the middle of last year, which has helped get the word out to citizens on how they can better protect themselves, O-Leary said. That has helped reduce the number of burglaries and robberies, he added.
We have educated the public at these forums and told them how they could avail themselves of the proper resources, O-Leary said. We told them, ÔDon-t make yourself a victim when you don-t have to be.-
Police have urged residents not to carry much cash and to use credit cards whenever possible to avoid becoming victims.
More police patrols have been deployed in areas that have been hit hard by robberies and burglaries. The total of 95 burglaries in the Five Towns in 2003 consists of 32 commercial and 63 residential break-ins.
NASS-STAT, which was introduced about three years ago, continues to be a major weapon against crime. The program has aided in tracking crime patterns, helping police deploy patrols where they are needed most. It helps us analyze what strategies may be effective in our precinct, and we share our information with neighboring precincts, O-Leary said.
He explained that a few pattern burglars have been caught during the past year, which has helped reduce the number of break-ins. We caught a few pattern burglars who we believe are responsible for a whole bunch of them, O-Leary said. They have been responsible for nine or 10 burglaries apiece, and we-ve put them away.
O-Leary said it is hard to say why felonious assault has taken such a dive, tentatively attributing it to the strengthening of domestic-violence laws, which now give police more power to arrest suspects for domestic abuse. Domestic-violence laws eliminate a lot of police discretion and mandate arrests under the criminal procedure in family disturbances, he said.
Community leaders applauded the police for keeping their streets safe. They are a phone call away and they are very cooperative, to the best of their abilities, said Joe Gelb, president of the Hewlett Business Association. I don-t know what other precincts are like or what other departments are like, but here, whenever there is any kind of issue, they respond to it. They really try very hard. They really are visible.
Sy Glass, president of the Woodmere Merchants Association, said his storekeepers have experienced a feeling of security with the police protection they have received. [The police] are doing very well over here, he said.
