State: Violent crime down on ‘T’

LYNN – A state report released Monday indicates the number of violent crimes on public transportation routes in 2009 dropped to their lowest levels in three decades.According to Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Police Chief Paul MacMillan, the total number of serious crimes, also known as Part I crimes, dropped to their lowest levels since 1980, when 3,304 serious crimes were recorded.A total of 827 serious crimes were reported last year, or 21 percent fewer than 2008. More than 370 million passenger trips were made on MBTA services last year, said MBTA spokesman Joseph Pesaturo, noting that the number of aggravated assaults fell from 103 to 88. There were no homicides.Statistics categorized by subway T station for 2009 showed that Wonderland Station in Revere where the Blue Line rapid-transit line ends had one automobile theft, two bicycle larcenies, six larcenies from motor vehicles, six assaults and six incidents of vandalism. The previous year at Wonderland Station, there were two assaults, two automobile thefts, three bicycle thefts, 13 larcenies from motor vehicles, two miscellaneous larcenies, seven incidents of vandalism and four simple assaults.Only three robberies were reported on the Blue Line in 2009 – two at Airport Station and one at Revere Beach Station.The Purple Line commuter railroad from Boston’s North Station to Rockport, with a stop in Lynn, reported only minor crimes, with those stations north of Swampscott ending 2009 nearly crime-free. At Lynn Station, one assault, two motor vehicle thefts, six larcenies from motor vehicles, one miscellaneous larceny, one sex offense, three incidents of simple assault and three of vandalism represented the total of the year’s crime.”Our mission at MassDOT is to run a safe, customer-focused transportation system,” said MassDOT Secretary and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Mullan, referring to the newly-combined state agency which oversees transportation services.Larceny or theft showed the most significant decrease in crime. The theft of property dropped 26 percent from 701 incidents to 522. Robberies decreased by 9 percent from 208 to 189.MacMillan attributed the decrease to a number of factors but suggested the public awareness campaigns that the Transit Police have launched have had an undeniable impact, Pesaturo said.One third of all larcenies involve the theft of electronic items such as iPods, iPhones, Sidekicks, and cell phones. “We continue to stress the importance of being aware of your surroundings, especially if you are texting or using any hand-held electronic device,” the police chief said.MacMillan said his police officers work closely with MBTA personnel and community partners. “Our point-of-entry policing strategy has had an impact and continues to pay dividends as we conduct fare evasion initiatives and make ourselves highly visible to customers entering the transit system,” he said. Explaining that fare evasion citations increased from 1,267 in 2008 to 2,864 in 2009.Vehicle thefts also decreased, from 27 in 2008 to 17 last year, a relatively minor number considering that over nine million motor vehicles annually are parked in MBTA lots and garages.Acting MBTA General Manager William Mitchell said the 30-year low in crimes is a testament to the transit police. “The hard work of our transportation personnel combined with the dedicated and professional work of our transit police makes every passenger’s ride as safe and as comfortable as possible,” he said.Although listed by the FBI Uniformed Crime Reporting system as a Part II crime, the incidents of people being indecently assaulted on the MBTA decreased slightly from a high in 2008 of 69 to 60 reported assaults. In April 2008, the MBTA and the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center sponsored a joint campaign that empowered its passengers to do something when inappropriately touched while riding the T. That campaign was renewed in October 2009 and has been highly effective in alerting passengers