44°
HASTINGS-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. Regardless of any public perception, Hastings Mayor Peter Swiderski reiterated to residents that crime is not on the rise in the area, quite the contrary.
First, I want to reassure people that Hastings is generally a very safe village, he said in a message to residents. We had nine burglaries last year, five down from the previous year. Theres no upward trend here if anything, its sharply down across a range of categories.
Hastings Lt. David Dosin said regardless of how little there is, there is bound to be crime in any community.
Its the society we live in, times are tough, he said. We do have crime here.
Swiderski pointed to a lower percentage of crime compared to state and national levels to help calm any fears.
This rate (equal roughly to 1.1 per 1,000 population) is a seventh of the national level, and less than a third of the norm for New York State or for other areas similar in location and type to ours, Swiderski said in the message.
Dosin agreed with the mayors message and said the number of burglaries is not what some may expect.
Lately our numbers have decreased from 2010-2011, he said. I dont think its any worse than it has been.
Hastings police have continued to investigate several crimes in the area including a recent home invasion on Main Street. Hastings police were also part of an investigation that helped nab a group of Yonkers thieves, which allowed some local residents to recover stolen property.
The best thing you can do is be alert, lock your doors, lock your car doors, lock your house doors and make sure your windows are also locked, Dosin said. Its the times we live in unfortunately.
For any residents that are still concerned, Dosin said his department can offer a solution.
We have crime prevention available, he said. Anybody who would like to have a home survey they can call us and we would be happy to come up and survey their house and make recommendations.
Remember to like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter for more updates on your community.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Rivertowns and receive free news updates.
