FORT GREENE — There have been 37 robberies in Fort Greene in recent months — and a "large" number of them were committed by "kids" as young as 11, police said.
In December police at the 88th precinct arrested a "crew" of boys ages 13 to 15 who allegedly robbed three taxis and another person who was walking in the neighborhood, NYPD said.
There were 28 robberies in the precinct in January and 17 arrests. Of those arrests, 12 suspects were aged 11 to 19, police said.
It is unclear how many of the 28 robberies were committed by the 12 underage suspects and further details were not immediately available.
"It's kids that are committing these crimes," Capt. Peter Fiorillo said at an 88th Precinct Community Council Meeting Tuesday night. "They are young and committing multiple robberies."
The number of robberies dropped dramatically after police made the arrests — to just five in February.
Overall, robberies are down nearly 17 percent this year through March 8, according to NYPD statistics.
There have been two robberies in the neighborhood this month, that's down 66 percent from the same week last year when there were six robberies.
"Arresting these crews makes a big difference," Fiorillo said. "It is a small amount of perps, young in age, committing a large amount of crimes."
