LOWER MANHATTAN — Rapes, robberies and auto thefts are all on the rise this year in lower Manhattan's 1st Precinct, NYPD figures show.
The biggest spike is in the number of rapes: there have been seven reported so far this year, compared to two in the same period last year and just one in the same period in 2009, according to NYPD numbers released this month.
"That is significant," said Anthony Notaro, president of the 1st Precinct Community Council, when told of the increase. "I am concerned about it."
Deputy Inspector Edward Winski, commanding officer of the 1st Precinct, said that in most of this year's sexual assault cases, the attacker knew the victim.
"For the most part, it's acquaintance [rape]," Winski said.
Winski said the NYPD did not see a pattern in the attacks.
The new NYPD statistics continue a trend DNAinfo found in its Crime & Safety Report, which revealed that the number of rapes reported in lower Manhattan doubled between 2009 and 2010.
The 1st Precinct — which includes SoHo, TriBeCa, Battery Park City, the Financial District and the Seaport — has also seen 63 robberies so far this year, compared to 53 in the same period last year, according to the NYPD. Auto thefts are up with 37 so far this year, compared to 27 in the same period last year.
Denise Cordivano, head of the Battery Park City Day Nursery, was not surprised to hear of the increases. She said she has heard of more crimes recently, including a break-in robbery of her South End Avenue nursery school over the Labor Day weekend.
She said the thieves broke in through the school's back yard, which is under construction, and jimmied open the sliding glass door. They stole eight laptops, two brand-new cameras and an electronic keyboard, she said, and have not yet been caught by police.
Even before the burglary, Cordivano, 50, who lives in Battery Park City, said she noticed a changing atmosphere in the neighborhood, as the new buildings filled with residents and the influx of World Trade Center tourists spilled over into Battery Park City.
Cordivano is also concerned about a reduced police presence since the NYPD's Mounted Unit moved out of TriBeCa earlier this year.
"We just have to be more cautious," Cordivano said. "People need to keep their eyes open."
Notaro, the community council leader, said he would not be surprised if the opening of the 9/11 Memorial resulted in more grand larcenies in the area, because tourists often make easy targets for thieves looking to steal electronics or jewelry.
As of Sept. 4, grand larcenies in lower Manhattan were down 12 percent so far this year, and they fell by five percent last year. But they are still by far the neighborhood's most prevalent major crime, according to NYPD figures and DNAinfo's report.
"People have to be aware," Notaro said.
