The Boston Police Department released the third quarter crime statistics for East Boston and much like the first quarter report released back in May, car breaks continue to be a problem in the neighborhood.
While Part One Crimes are down 40 percent since the first quarter report, crime is up 29 percent when comparing January 1, 2019 through September 13, 2019 with the same time period this year.
Part One Crimes are the more serious crimes the Boston Police track.
When comparing January 1, 2020 through September 13, 2020 with the same time period during the third quarter of 2019 Larceny from Motor Vehicles has increased 142 percent in Eastie.
By the third quarter of 2019 there were only 73 motor vehicle larcenies but that number has increased to 177 so far this year. It seems the number of motor vehicle larcenies, an opportunistic crime that only takes seconds to pull off, is up all over Boston.
Citywide the number has gone from 1,891 in the third quarter of 2019 to 2,377 so far in 2020, a 25 percent increase.
“The Department obviously takes great pride in the fact that arrests were made in all three incidents, we would, nevertheless, like to take this opportunity to remind community members to employ common sense preventative measures to protect items of value when exiting their vehicles,” said the statement. “As simple as it may sound, protecting your motor vehicle from a break-in starts with locking the doors and closing windows. Simple? Yes. But, highly effective.”
In fact, simple steps can often spell the difference between your car being broken into and the would-be thief moving on to another, more desirable target.
“More than anything else, thieves look for the easy score,” said the police. “So, don’t make it easy. If you have items of value, be it a cell phone, charger, money or iPad, take them with you when you exit your car. Because if a thief can see it, you can be sure he or she will do everything they can to steal it.”
As for other Part One Crimes in Eastie there have been zero reported Homicides for 2020; Rape or Attempted Rape is down from 7 to 4; Robbery or Attempted Robbery is up from 35 to
44; Domestic Aggravated Assault is up by from 32 to 40; Non-Domestic Aggravated Assault is up by from 33 to 41; Commercial Burglaries are up from 19 to 12; Residential Burglaries are up by from 38 to 41; other Larcenies are down by from 131 to 112; and Auto Theft is up slightly from 32 to 37.
So far this year there has been a total of 519 Part One Crimes, up from the 402 reported in the third quarter of 2019.
Again, police are reminding residents that of the 117 additional reported Part One Crimes reported so far in 2020, 104 of those crimes have been traced back to motor vehicle larcenies.
As always, if you observe any unusual activity or observe a car theft or a break-in in progress, don’t hesitate to call 9-1-1.