City of New Britain Office of Mayor Timothy Stewart

MEDIA RELEASE

March 29, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



MAYOR STEWART REPORTS SIGNIFICANT DROP IN MAJOR CRIMES IN NEW BRITAIN



New Britain Mayor Timothy Stewart and Police Chief William Gagliardi today released the latest major crime statistics reported by the Connecticut Department of Public Safety. The latest statistics indicate a significant drop in major crime index for the City for the third quarter of 2010 as compared with the same time period in 2009.



“I am very pleased to report that the latest crime reports from the Department of Public Safety indicate that major crime, especially those involving violent acts, in the City of New Britain has dropped significantly,” Mayor Stewart announced today. “According to those reports, major crime is down 15% in our community and that is truly good news for the residents of New Britain. Adding to the good news for our taxpayers is that we have continued to maintain high standards in public safety while holding the line on spending. ”



The reductions reported by DPS were as follows:



Motor vehicle theft down from 134 to 111

Larcenies were down from 683 to 535

Aggravated assault was down from 35 to 30

Rape dropped from 2 to 1

Arson down from 1 to zero

Murder down from 1 to zero



Police Chief William Gagliardi was also encouraged by the reports. “This confirms that the strategies we have been working on for the past few years, including increased use of technology, are successful. One area of concern is the increase shown on this report in robbery and burglaries. The good news is that over the past year, we have concentrated resources on these issues and have had made arrests of persons responsible for multiple acts of robbery and burglary. I am confident our rate will improve in the next reporting period thanks to these efforts.” said Chief Gagliardi.



“Thanks to the outstanding work of our Chief of Police, William Gagliardi, and New Britain’s excellent police force, New Britain has become a safer place for the people who live here,” Stewart continued. “It has been a priority of my administration since taking office nearly seven years ago to make

New Britain a better place in which to live, work and raise a family and this latest report of crime statistics shows that we are on the right track.” Stewart concluded.