Serious crime fell by 8 percent in Boston in 2011
The number of serious crimes reported in Boston fell by 8 percent in 2011, a drop Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis III attributed to officers’ hard work and a commitment by the city to keep the same number of police on the street through the economic downturn.
Reports of homicides, robberies, larcenies, and vehicle thefts all declined in the last 12 months. The largest plunge came in aggravated assaults, which fell by more than 16 percent. Davis said he was “very happy’’ with the plunge in crime reflected in the statistics released today and he credited Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s efforts to keep police staffing steady.
“We’re one of the only cities in the nation that has maintained the level of policing that we had five years ago,’’ Davis said, adding that crime also decreased because of “our tight relationship with the community, working with neighborhood groups, and focusing on places where crime is mostly likely to be committed.’’
Rape was the only major crime category that increased, spiking by almost 12 percent. The rise was driven largely by the amount reported in a police district that includes Mattapan and North Dorchester, where the number almost doubled to 36 from 19 in 2010. Reported rapes also increased sharply in South Boston, surging to 13 last year from 6 in 2010.
But an increase in reported rapes does not necessarily mean that sexual assaults are on the rise, according to Davis and rape intervention experts. Rape is one of the most underreported crimes because roughly 80 percent of the victims are attacked by someone they know.
“I see an increase as good news about our outreach,’’ said Gina Scaramella, executive director of the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center. “It makes us realize that people are reporting more.’’
Boston has not seen an increase in stranger rapes, Davis said. Any rape can be reported to the crisis center by calling 800-841-8371.
All of Boston’s 12 police districts experienced a drop in the number of reported crimes expect for one. The district that encompasses Charlestown faced an 11 percent rise in crime, driven almost entirely by a 25 percent spike in larcenies. In contrast, East Boston enjoyed a 15 percent decrease in crime, due to significant drops in burglaries, larcenies, and vehicle thefts.
The city ended the year with 62 homicides, a decline of 12 killings from 2010, representing a reduction of 16 percent. Homicides remained concentrated in a few of Boston’s neighborhoods, with the majority occurring in sections of Dorchester, Roxbury, and Mattapan.
But even in those neighborhoods, where violent crime has long been an intractable problem, law enforcement made progress. In the police district that covers most of Dorchester, the number of homicides dropped by 35 percent, to 11 from 17 the year before. In Roxbury and Mission Hill, homicides fell 31 percent, to 13 from 19.
While vehicle thefts dipped across the city by just over 3 percent, a few neighborhoods saw significant increases. West Roxbury, for example, experienced 41 percent increase in car thefts from the year before.
The overall crime statistics “are pretty good,’’ Menino said today, while expresssing concern about the rapes. “One attempted rape is one attempted rape too many … We’re going to do more outreach in those neighborhoods and make sure women are aware of the availability of services.’’
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