BELLE HARBOR — Surf’s up. And so is crime.
Despite major crimes dipping the last five years across the city — and plummeting since the early '90s — the two precincts that cover the Rockaway peninsula saw double-digit increases since 2009, more than any other place in the city, according to NYPD data.
Some officials blamed the increase on a lack of officers and said more should be dispatched to the area.
The 100th Precinct — which covers the west end of the peninsula, including the tony residential communities of Neponsit and the gated Breezy Point — saw a 77 percent spike in crime since 2009 through Aug. 3, stats show.
By contrast, crime was down in that period in many precincts around the five boroughs, but up slightly by 2 percent citywide.
The biggest jump in the 100th Precinct was burglaries, with 151 last year compared to 69 in 2009. There have been 77 burglaries as of Aug. 3 this year, a 133 percent increase over the same period five years ago, according to statistics.
Felony assaults were also up, with a 57 percent spike since 2009 and 15 percent increase over the last two years through Aug. 3.
However, both categories were down compared to 2013.
Grand larcenies were also up significantly, and so were auto thefts, which increased by more than 80 percent compared to five years ago.
The NYPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The 101st Precinct, which covers the eastern end of the peninsula, saw a 47 percent increase in serious crime through Aug. 3 compared to five years ago — the second most in the city compared to 2009, next to the 77th Precinct in Brooklyn.
Shooting incidents are also up in both Rockaway precincts. A 12-year-old girl was shot in the leg while watching a basketball tournament on Saturday, becoming the peninsula's 28th shooting victim this year.
The president of the 100th Precinct community council, Danny Ruscillo, partially blamed the spike on a shortage of police officers.
As of July 10, the precinct had approximately 105 officers assigned to it — which aren't enough, he said.
“I really think the amount of officers should be increased for the Rockaways, along with other precincts in our city,” he said.
The precinct has received officers from different borough-wide task forces, with 25 officers brought in for "summer detail," Ruscillo said.
But he thought more should be done, including adding security cameras like the ones that were finally installed on crime-prone streets after a long delay.
Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder, who represents portions of both precincts, said he's in favor of dispatching more officers to both the 100th and the 101st precincts.
“We can’t shrink our police force, take away their tactics, and expect crime to go down," he said. "We’ve seen an uptick in crime, and it’s unacceptable, and no community should have to live with it.”
