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Despite Hard Times, Local Crime Falls

Captain Donald Powers (NYPD)

April 29, 2011 By Christian Murray

The number of reported crimes continues to decline throughout Sunnyside/Woodside and LIC, according to police.

Captain Donald Powers said at the Police Precinct 108 meeting on Tuesday that crime throughout the wider district had dropped 8.6% year-to-date, compared to the same time period one year ago.

“The crime numbers are steadily declining because we continue to get good information from the community,” Powers said, whose precinct covers Sunnyside/Woodside and LIC.

There have been 360 reported crimes this year through Sunday, April 24, compared to 394 for the same period in 2010. To date, there have been no murders, compared to two murders for the same period one year ago.

In other crime categories, there have been:

Four rapes this year, compared to five last year
49 robberies, compared to 55
25 assaults, compared to 40
76 burglaries, compared to 81
137 grand larcenies, the same as last year
69 grand larceny autos, compared to 74 for the same period one year ago

However, Sunnyside residents – among others- did ask the police several questions.

One couple who live on 46^th Street, between 43^rdStreet and Skillman Ave., told the police that they have heard from tenants in their building that there have been several burglaries on their block.

Powers said that there were two incidents in the past 28 days in the area. One was a burglary on 46^th Street (between 43^rdand Skillman) and another on a parallel block on 47^thStreet. Powers did not have data beyond the 28-day period at his disposal. However, he said that there is no widespread “burglary pattern in the area.”

Meanwhile, police confirmed that a burglary took place at a doctor’s office on Skillman Ave and 48^thStreet about seven weeks ago. This comes several months after two men broke into a pharmacy on Skillman Ave., confronted the proprietor with a knife, and stole drugs and cash. No arrests have been made in either case.

However, Powers said that the number of arrests throughout the precinct were up this year. To date, 1,046 arrests have been made, compared to 915 at the same time one year ago.

Powers did not report on any significant incidents on the southern side of Queens Blvd.