This report is for PSA1 which is the southern part of the 15th district below Bridge Street. Since Frankford begins at Cheltenham Avenue, we are missing some parts of the story. That area between Bridge and Cheltenham was the location of some significant crime incidents this year. However, this is the most accurate report we can do with some degree of confidence.
The report for the year shows a significant improvement over 2015. The chart below includes only major crimes.
We continue to take issue with the classification of 2 homicides on March 23rd on the 1600 block of Pratt Street as aggravated assaults. They are still under investigation. For this report, I have included them as homicides until the investigation is complete.
Notice that overall, firearm crime is down but you can see that aggravated assaults with firearms is up while robbery with firearms is down. Aggravated assaults are those shootings that hit somebody but do not kill them. People do not feel safe when this kind of crime continues even if other things improve.
Burglary, robbery and theft are down and that is good news.
So what is to be done?
Support your local police. In the next few months there will be opportunities to come out and meet the cops. Come out and talk to them. They want to know what is going on in your part of the neighborhood.
If you know something is going on that should not be, tip off the cops. This does make a difference. They do act on these tips but it takes further investigation. This can be done anonymously on the police tip line.
Via Telephone – Dial 215.686.TIPS (8477).
Via Text Message – Text short code PPDTIP (773847).
Photo/Video Tips via Email – If you would like to submit a tip, including photo or video, via email, send to tips@phillypolice.com. Include as many details as you can, such as the physical address and names of any known persons. Include your contact information if you would like them to follow up with you directly.
