COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The year started off rough for Northland-area business.
"They've suffered a lot of burglaries in the area, a lot of robberies. Some of the patrons in the parking lots have been robbed," said Columbus Police Community Liaison Officer Scott Clinger.
And the latest FBI numbers reflect those crimes for much of the Columbus area during the first six months of 2009.
Burglaries jumped to 6,805 cases between January and June, an increase over 2008 numbers.
With just a few days left in the year, things have changed considerably and for the better in Northland.
Monthly meetings of the Northland Area Business Watch have alerted owners and employees of what to do if they spot trouble and how to avoid trouble all together.
"Officer Clinger (and) our liaison had formed regular meetings with block watch captains both commercial and residential. We were talking to each other and that has helped a great deal I believe," stated David Cooper, owner of The Ink Well on East Dublin-Granville Road.
Across town on the Hilltop, neighbors remain on the look out for those responsible for dozens of thefts and break-ins.
Jay McCallister coordinates the Great Western Block Watch. He is not surprised to hear that larceny-theft cases roses to more than 14,490 cases early this year. "We've had 29 different car break-ins where people are walking by, see something the smash in the window and just grab it," said McCallister. He is happy to hear the violent crime dropped and believes the same achievement can be reached for property crimes if more people report what they see in their neighborhoods.
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