BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — Major crime dropped 11 percent in Bedford-Stuyvesant’s 81st police precinct in 2016, marking the greatest reduction in north Brooklyn's 10 precincts, officials said.
In eastern Bed-Stuy, there were 167 less crimes including robberies, assaults and grand larcenies from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2016 compared to the previous year, according to Inspector Scott Henderson.
“We had a tremendous, tremendous year in crime,” Henderson told attendees at this month’s precinct community council meeting.
“It was a collaborative effort. I can’t sit up here and take credit for that myself. It was officers in the precinct, the community, the community council, clergy council, elected officials, our partners in law enforcement, the DA’s Office.”
The precinct, spanning from Marcus Garvey Boulevard to Saratoga Avenue and Broadway to Atlantic Avenue, saw nearly 100 less reported robberies last year, with 334 incidents in 2015 and 235 in 2016.
The neighborhood had issues with burglaries of vacant properties, according to police, but the number of overall burglaries dipped from 247 in 2015 to 233, Henderson said.
The commanding officer said the dip in major crime was not attributed to a specific effort, but credited participation from the community.
“We got a lot of cooperation from people — either victims of crime helping us out, people out on the street, people allowing us access to video cameras, people willing to come forward and say what they know,” Henderson said.
While most crimes were down in the 81st Precinct last year, the number of shootings increased from 30 in 2015 to 40.
“We still have work to do,” Henderson said. “We’ve got to work hard, but we’re going to do it.”
