Capt. Thomas Pascale, standing left, and Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder speak with residents at the 106th Precinct Community Council meeting.
Several residents of Richmond Hill rallied against a rise in crime in their neighborhoods at a public hearing last week. Residents from the 106th Police Precinct congregated at the Station’s gathering room to air their concerns about a spike in cases of burglaries and other criminal activities in their neighbourhood over the last few months. The Precinct had reported an increase in crime over the past year.
Many of the victims of these crimes are Guyanese who have since stepped up their call for increased police patrols in their communities to deter criminals from engaging in their nefarious activities. The police have since reported they have made only one arrest for burglary in recent weeks.
Residents say that elected officials are aware of the grave situation but not much is being done to address peoples’ concerns. One U.S.-based Guyanese serves on the Police Precinct Community Board and another on the Richmond Hill Community Board.
At the police-community meeting, residents expressed concerns over the sharp rise in crime especially burglary. They feel that the break-ins increased in the community since the opening of a gambling casino in the area about three months ago, which most persons in the community opposed. They also blame a lack of police presence in their neighbourhoods.
It was pointed that some of the criminals are very creative. In some cases, the crooks dressed as religious workers knocked at persons’ doors and then began robbing them when they opened to answer.
In response, the police revealed that they are using modern technology to detect and solve crimes similar to the CSI TV program. Additionally, the law enforcement officers urged homeowners to install surveillance cameras to aid police in their investigations.
Meanwhile, the political representative for the area, Senator Joe Addabboo agreed with the residents that more police officers are needed to combat the rise in crime. “My constituents want an officer on every corner”. He said that the Precinct has not received additional cops for years because of low crime rate, however, now that there is a spike in crime, the city will need to look at additional police officers to patrol the area.
