Safety on the Move: MBTA Sees Crime Drop and Plans for a Better Future

The MBTA, or the T, has seen a drop in crime by 14% compared to last year. This is good news for everyone who uses public transport in the area. The police chief, Kenneth Green, shared this information at a recent meeting. He said that the police work hard every day to keep the system safe. Most of the crimes happen in Boston, but the police cover all the cities and towns that the MBTA serves. The data looked at serious crimes, like homicides, robberies, and assaults. There were no homicides in the last two years, which is great. Robberies and thefts have gone down a lot, by 26% and 20% respectively. However, there was a small increase in rapes and assaults to rape. But in real numbers, it's only one more case than last year. The police chief said this is still within the average. There were also a few more aggravated assaults, but the chief explained that these can range from minor incidents to serious attacks.The MBTA is also working to improve its service. It's trying to get back to the ridership levels it had before the pandemic. In October, it saw its highest number of weekday rides since COVID-19. This is good news for the T, as it shows that more people are trusting and using the service again. To make things even safer, the MBTA is setting up a new police control center in Quincy. This will help the police respond faster to incidents. They are also planning to hire more officers next year. The police chief said that changes in the hiring rules will allow them to bring in a more diverse group of applicants. This is a positive step towards making the police force more representative of the community. The MBTA is also working to make the system more accessible and reliable. The general manager, Phillip Eng, wrote a letter to the U. S. Department of Transportation highlighting these improvements. He said that making the system safe and accessible is important for making transit the preferred choice for everyone.