NYC council member calls for more cops in his Bronx district to deal with rising violent crime

The Bronx is being “left behind” as shootings soar across the borough – and one councilman calling for more cops to clean up violent crime in the Boogie Down.City Councuil member Oswald Feliz (D) made a plea for help in a letter to interim police Commissioner Thomas Donlon after three police precincts in his district reported double-digit increases in shooting incidents.“While the NYPD has made progress over the past year in reducing crime, communities in the Bronx have been left behind,” Feliz said, saying it was clear the NYPD’s 46th, 48th and 62nd precincts need “additional resources.”“Public safety is not an exclusive responsibility of law enforcement, and there is no single remedy for reducing crime, but there are important actions we can take to ensure safety-related progress reaches every community,” Feliz said in the letter, dated Monday.“As we know, police presence can play an important role, especially on the issue of crime deterrence.”An NYPD spokesperson told The Post the NYPD will review the letter.“However, each precinct in the city receives an equitable distribution of personnel and resources based on staffing needs and crime trends,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

“As police recruits graduate from the Police Academy, deployment is determined by numerous factors, including population, call volume and levels of crime within each police precinct.”Bronx businesses said Wednesday they would welcome the increased presence.“More police patrolling would be great,” said Joe, manager of clothing story Bon Bini.“I honestly feel like when [would-be criminals] see a presence everything stays calm.”A worker at Best Italian Pizza said violence is common in the area. “It’s always been like that.

A lot of violence,” he said.“There’s always something going on — people fighting, bats, knives, whatever.”Citywide shooting-related incidences are down 9.4% so far this year compared to the same time last year,...