Vigilance yields a citywide drop in burglaries

Burglary is the only major crime that has gone down in all areas of the city this year, according to the latest statistics from Boston police. From Jan. 1 through July 9, there have been 699 fewer burglaries than in the same period in 2005. The total of 1,876 is the lowest number of burglaries in that period since 1999, according to the statistics.

Police say that giving residents tips on how to protect themselves and deploying plainclothes officers have helped drive down the number of burglaries dramatically, even while homicides and shootings continue to plague the city.

Residents have responded to the initiative, keeping an eye out for suspicious activity and buying burglar alarms and other high-tech monitoring equipment.

On the cloudy afternoon of June 26, police received several calls about a man dressed in a green T-shirt and black sweatpants, trying to force several windows open from a rickety fire escape outside a Fenway apartment building.

The suspect, later identified as Michael T. Mothersell, gained entry through a window with a protruding air conditioner. Once inside, he allegedly grabbed a laptop computer, a video game system, cameras, and jewelry and packed them in a black suitcase he found in the apartment.

But police were already on their way, called by several residents who had spotted the suspect on the fire escape. Mothersell, 44, was approached by officers as he wheeled the packed suitcase along Park Drive. He was arrested and later charged with one count of breaking and entering. Police said they believe they nabbed a career burglar responsible for numerous recent break-ins.

In the South End, Peters Park -- dotted with small trees, a playground, and a Little League ball field -- is a place where neighbors unwind after work by sitting on park benches and reading, where dog walkers stop to unleash anxious family pets, and where new residents can get quickly plugged into neighborhood concerns, particularly crime.

``People around here seem to really look out for each other," said Marija Strazdas, 31, a computer engineer who moved from North Carolina to Dwight Street last April. Two weeks ago, she was one of several residents who called 911 to report what turned out to be a fatal shooting of a 19-year-old at the end of her street.

James Alan Fox, a criminologist at Northeastern University, said that increased patrols and neighborhood vigilance can help deter burglary.

``With technology, like an alarm, and increased police presence, the numbers can continue to decline, but you can only push the numbers so far," he said. ``It's one of those areas where police can have the greatest impact, and they've done a good job recently of taking burglars out of circulation."

But Fox said the same strategies will not work as well on violent crime, which is often caused by arguments and disputes.

He also said the locations of burglaries and violent crimes don't often overlay, so the techniques used to combat burglaries do not necessarily have an impact on the number of homicides or shootings.

Captain Robert Flaherty -- commander of the police district that covers the Fenway, Back Bay, South End, and Lower Roxbury -- said diligence is key to preventing burglaries. He tells residents at crime-watch meetings to become familiar with their neighbors.

``I recently entered a hallway to an apartment building behind a resident, and once inside I asked him how long had he been living there. He told me two years. I then asked him if he knew who lived across from him, and he had no idea.

``Nowadays, everyone has their own little world, and they don't interact," he said. ``It has become the rule, rather than the exception."

He said he also talked last September with about 1,400 freshmen at Northeastern University, who often make easy targets for burglars, about how to safeguard their off-campus apartments.

``The students have other things on their minds than protecting their property," he said.

Flaherty's district recorded the biggest decline in the city so far this year. Last year through July 9, there were 417 burglaries, but this year, there were 257.

In South Boston, where a wave of break-ins last year caused many residents to shed the tradition of leaving their doors and windows open, decals and stickers for home security companies such as ADT and Brink's Home Security dot windows and doors everywhere.

Gino Dugan, 46, general manager of a waste disposal company, said his wife, Gina, has been asking him to get a security system for their three-decker on Eighth Street.

``There have been so many changes in this neighborhood," he said. ``Schools are closing down. Young professionals are moving in and replacing families who have lived here for decades. Everyone is a stranger now."

With a small trowel she used to work in her backyard garden, Gina Dugan pointed at a house directly across the street. ``They were burglarized last year, but now they have an alarm," she said.

Chad Richard, vice president for residential marketing for ADT, said sales of home monitoring systems have been ``extremely strong" in the past two years in Boston, though he declined to provide specific figures.

``One of the biggest reasons for that is the fear of crime," he said. ``There is a heightened awareness and attention to personal security and vulnerabilities. Often, you have both the husband and wife working during the day, and the home goes unprotected.

``The whole idea of an armed system is leaving and knowing that nobody can come in without being detected," Richard said.

Brian R. Ballou can be reached at bballou@globe.com.