Captain Kenneth Fong of Boston Police Area A-1 was on hand at the Mt. Vernon Street firehouse Wednesday for a meeting of the Beacon Hill Civic Association Safety Committee.
At this time, Fong reported the Part One crime (property and violent crimes) statistics from Jan. 1 through April 7 of this year, compared with the same timeframe last year. Overall, those crimes were down 54 percent year to date, with larcenies and burglaries falling 48 and 71 percent, respectively.
No homicides or rapes were reported either year, while robberies decreased 50 percent as the number dropped to two from four last year.
Aggravated assaults were also on the decline, with two incidents to date in 2015, compared four last year.
Vehicle thefts saw an 80-percent decrease as the number dropped to one from five in 2014.
While larcenies from motor vehicles saw a 62-percent uptick as the number of incidents jumped from 69 to 112 this year, although Fong said police had recent success with “bait” cars, replete with visible valuables meant to entice would-be thieves.
Although Part One crime saw a noticeable drop this year, Fong said quality-of-life issues remain prevalent on Beacon Hill, particularly in regard to homelessness. Fong said police are actively working to solve this problem through partnerships with outreach programs, though.