News

By Rich Pollack

    Crime in South Palm Beach County’s five coastal communities remained low during the first half of 2017, dropping more than 20 percent from the same time last year, according to statistics released late last month from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
    The number of crimes dropped in both Gulf Stream and Ocean Ridge, with Gulf Stream reporting five crimes in the first six months of this year — two fewer than in the same period last year.
    The total number of crimes in Ocean Ridge dropped almost 60 percent, from 47 in the first half of last year to 19 during the same time period this year.  
    South Palm Beach and Manalapan experienced two more crimes each during the first half of 2017 than during the same time frame last year. Highland Beach had an increase in total crimes from 12 in the first half of 2016 to 22 in the first half of this year.
    “Sometimes we see increases in the number of crimes reported because we ask people to report any and all crimes,” Highland Beach Police Chief Craig Hartmann said. “We’re fortunate that most of the crimes reported were minor with minimal losses.”
    Of the area’s larger cities, Boca Raton saw an 8 percent increase; Lantana was up 20 percent. Delray Beach saw a 4 percent decrease while Boynton Beach — which provides police services to Briny Breezes — remained essentially flat.
    Overall, Palm Beach County saw about a 1.5 percent decrease in crime during the first six months of this year, dropping from 24,172 crimes in the first six months of 2016 to 23,804 in the first six months of this year. Statewide, crime dropped by about 2 percent.
    Ocean Ridge was plagued by thefts from unlocked cars and motor vehicle thefts in 2016. However, police created an awareness campaign focused on the need to lock cars and protect valuables. The program, as well as changes in patrol techniques, may have played a significant role in reducing those crimes.
    “We had a very impactful public education campaign, not just here but countywide,” Ocean Ridge Police Chief Hal Hutchins said. “Not only is the public more vigilant, but so are police officers.”
    Overall larcenies in Ocean Ridge totaled 37, of which 23 were thefts from vehicles, in the first six months of 2016. The number of larcenies in the same period this year dropped to nine, including five thefts from vehicles.
    Ocean Ridge also saw a significant drop in motor vehicle thefts, with seven reported in the first half of last year and only one reported in the same time frame this year.
    Hutchins suspects some of the motor vehicle thefts last year were because the owners left the keys in their unlocked vehicles. There were no indications that ignition systems had been tampered with on the stolen cars that were recovered.
    Keys left in cars also played a role in crimes in Highland Beach. The number of stolen cars increased from one in the first six months of last year to five in the same period this year.
    Hartmann said the keys had been left in three of the five cars reported stolen.
    To reduce the number of thefts from vehicles and stolen cars, Highland Beach police launched a massive educational campaign in May. The campaign included delivering door hangers with crime prevention tips and spreading the word through presentations at condo and homeowners associations along with other means of communication.
    Hartmann said the department also recently installed a license-plate recognition system and took steps to increase law enforcement visibility.