BUSHWICK — Last year was a bad year for burglaries in Bushwick, police said.
Thefts from homes and businesses went up 24 percent in 2014 to 496 from 399 the year before, according to 83rd Precinct Deputy Inspector Maximo Tolentino.
It's the only major crime increase in the neighborhood, he added at Wednesday's Community Board 4 meeting.
"We're encouraging folks to do preventative maintenance," Tolentino said. "Go to crime prevention officers, have them go into your home and take a look at it."
Though he did not credit the spike with a particular trend, Tolentino previously attributed the increases to Bushwick's construction boom and end-of-year bad weather.
Thieves took advantage of local construction by stealing tools and new appliances, Tolentino had said. In September, the number of burglaries nearly doubled due to the trend.
And many of the burglaries could also be attributed to locals not locking their windows or doors, he said.
Other major crimes did not see such dramatic increases.
Murders went up by two, from seven in 2013 to nine in 2014. Robberies decreased by 13 percent, from 393 in 2013 to 343 in 2014.
Assaults declined by 18 percent, from 374 in 2013 to 308 in 2014. Grand larceny also decreased by 18 percent, from 586 in 2013 to 482 in 2014.
Meanwhile, arrests were also down 21 percent in the precinct.
Police in Bushwick's 83rd precinct made 370 arrests in 2014, down from 471 in 2013, Tolentino said.
The commanding officer told locals that much of the decrease had to do with changes in marijuana possession laws, where officers no longer arrest people who have 25 grams or less of the drug.
Citywide marijuana arrests went down 60 percent in the first two weeks it was in place.
But the "quality of arrests" has been good, Tolentino said.
"We’re arresting less people but the people we’re bringing in are the ones that we wanted," Tolentino said.
Overall, "less people on our streets were being victims," Tolentino said. "I see that as a success."
