By D’Anthony Harris, Ajani Semple, and Ayana Powell
Precincts are necessary to keep the peace in every neighborhood, especially in urban communities like Laurelton. The construction of the 116th Precinct has begun and it will service Rosedale, Brookville, and our very own Laurelton community. The construction of the precinct is estimated to cost $70,000,000 and will be very beneficial to those living in Southeast Queens. The city will be introduced to its 4th biggest precinct and there will be 24/7 coverage with 18 officers and 2 sergeants on duty. According to local news, the 116th precinct will help address the population increase and response times,  benefitting Southeastern Queens communities, since last year the 105th Precinct had to deal with with a lot of major crimes and were burdened with addressing many different towns. Last year the Precinct had as many as 257 robberies and 360 felony assaults. There were also 358 burglaries, 679 grand larcenies and 232 auto thefts, a total of 1,949 incidents, more than in any other precinct in the entire borough.
As most of my friends and classmates live in Southeastern Queens and often walk or take public transportation when traveling, I believe that the Precinct would be very beneficial to the communities and promote a safer environment. Because the Precinct spreads more awareness of a NYPD presence, there would likely be less crimes in our neighborhoods, as well as it being easier to handle crimes that do occur. This year, overall crime in the 105th Precinct is down 3.7 percent compared to the same period last year, according to statistics provided by the NYPD for the period ending Feb. 14. This supports the idea that the new Precinct will only be an improvement for the community, helping to further lower crime.
Hopefully, the new Precinct will help our borough, Queens as a whole. According to Mayoral spokeswoman Monica Klein, “this administration is committed to protecting all our city’s neighborhoods, and NYPD is always open to discussions on additional ways to keep New York City the safest big city in America.” The 116th Precinct will be a great addition to our lives in Laurelton.Â
