Though crime was down a modest 2.71 percent overall in the 52nd Precinct last year, police are trumpeting their success in curtailing shooting incidents. There were 23 in 2004 compared with 44 in 2003, for a decrease of 47.7 percent. Murders were also significantly down from 13 in 2003 to eight in 2004.

 
There were also fewer robberies in 2004 — 560 vs. 650 in 2003.
 
“The officers are stopping the right people and being visible out there,” said Deputy Inspector Joseph Hoch, the precinct’s commander. Hoch said shootings and robberies are significant crime categories to watch because they involve “street violence.”
 
In addition to getting guns off the streets, Hoch said that enforcement of quality of life violations like loitering, public drinking and disorderly conduct were also partly responsible for the drop in serious crime.
 
The precinct tracks robbery patterns closely, Hoch said. “We track [them] on a daily basis, and when we sense a trend, we deploy our resources accordingly,” he said. In December for instance, Hoch said he shifted personnel to the midnight tour when the precinct identified a trend of robberies where the victim was knocked down from behind. Police then arrested a suspect who was subsequently identified in five different lineups.
 
A significant uptick in grand larceny, however, leveled off to some extent what would have otherwise been a remarkable downward plunge in overall crime in the Five-Two. Criminal impersonations and cell phone fraud were among the types of crime responsible for the increase in that category, Hoch said.
 
Steve Bussell, president of the 52nd Precinct Community Council, was pleased with the drop in violent crime.
 
“The way they’re concentrating on certain areas has been very helpful,” Bussell said. “The worst crime areas are getting the most attention.”
 
An infusion of 70 new rookie officers this month, which Hoch expects to last through the year, would appear to put the precinct in a good position to build on last year’s successes. Forty-eight of those cops will be deployed in a new Operation Impact Zone, from Fordham Road to East 198th Street, and from the Grand Concourse to Decatur Avenue.  Much of that area has been covered by Impact in the past, but it is going further north this time, Hoch said. This is an area that, crime trends notwithstanding, has been plagued by drug dealing as far back as most residents can remember.
 
Meanwhile, 12 rookies and two training officers will patrol Fordham Road from Webster to University avenues.
 
And two teams of eight officers – three senior cops and five rookies – will be assigned to return to former Impact zones in University Heights.
 
The infusion of new cops will also allow Hoch to deploy his evening tracer team of one sergeant and four officers to problem blocks in the northern part of the precinct, such as Rochambeau and DeKalb avenues and Knox and Gates places in Norwood.