The Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) Transit Police reported that this year the T crime rate has increased by nearly 16 percent, making this the second consecutive year that rates have increased since their record low in 2009.
The increase refers to Part I crimes, which includes acts such as aggravated assault, robbery, burglary and larceny — often of electronic devices. Such incidents have increased to 1,009 from 871 in the same period last year, according a statistical report cited by MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo.
These figures exclude statistics on Part II crimes, which consist of indecent assaults, vandalism, drug violations and disorderly conduct.
The increase in crime rate was mostly fueled by more frequent occurrences of non−violent crimes or some variant of larceny, according to Joseph O'Connor, deputy chief of the MBTA Transit Police.
"What is driving it is the larceny category — in particular, bicycle larceny is up 29 percent and pickpocketing 30 percent," O'Connor told the Daily.
O'Connor said that there has been an increase in T ridership and hence an accompanying rise in the number of electronic devices and bicycles in public transit stations, presenting more opportunities for crime to take place. "What we are seeing is that ridership on the MBTA is increasing," he said. "We are at record levels of 1.35 million riders a day — these are the highest numbers recorded at the MBTA."
"If you look at the increases in robberies and larcenies, there's a dramatic increase in the number of people carrying electronic devices," O'Connor continued. "That creates opportunity for people … if you went back 10 years, there might [only] be 10 bicycles parked at Davis Square."
In response to this increase in crime, MBTA officials are continuing prior anti−crime initiatives and implementing new ones, including distributing leaflets at stations and initiating campaigns urging people to be cautious with their smart phones.
"We have an ongoing partnership with the [Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC)]. We have Operation StopWatch, which is a partnership with the Boston police and school police. We will constantly be looking to re−evaluate what we're doing and better police strategies," O'Connor said.
The MBTA's initiative with the BARCC is aimed at raising awareness about sexual assaults on the T and to encourage riders to report such crimes.
Operation StopWatch is a program to monitor the behavior of students using public transportation.
O'Connor also cited the successful utilization of an extensive closed−circuit television system, which is used on the subway and approximately 350 buses.
He further dismissed the notion that there are particularly dangerous lines or hours that riders should be wary of.
"I wouldn't categorize any line to be more dangerous than others," O'Connor said. "We do have some stations that do have slightly higher numbers that occur … it could be higher volumes of people with valuables that they may set down."
Despite O'Connor's dismissal, many students report feeling less safe on the T at night.
"If it was empty and I was alone, I would probably feel uncomfortable, but I usually walk in well−lit areas," Anne−Marie Vu, a freshman, said.
"Yes I feel safe, but I probably wouldn't ride it alone late at night," Alexandra Zeitouni, a freshman, said.
MBTA officials encourage riders to view the new crime statistics in the context of increased ridership.
"We're certainly not satisfied and we're going to work harder to bring down the crime numbers," O'Connor said. "[But] when you put into perspective … the chances of you being victimized remain very, very low."
He stressed the need for commuters to be vigilant and to report any suspicious activity to a uniformed MBTA representative or the emergency hotline.
"People need to be aware of their environment … we want to urge people to report incidents," O'Connor added.
