There was the break-in at St. Lawrence Church.
The cigarettes stolen from Mill Variety and Video.
The safe lifted from Il Palio Restaurant.
The three incidents were among 112 burglaries reported in Shelton in 2010.
That was 20 more than 2009 — a 17.8 percent increase.
Shelton police released crime statistics for 2010 — and a comparison of the figures from the past several years shows that burglaries and larcenies have increased, while car thefts and assaults have gone down.
“We use the statistics, sometimes for reassignment or special patrols or other measures,” said Police Chief Joel Hurliman.
Burglaries
The majority of the burglaries happened toward the end of the year, according to crime statistics available on the Shelton police website.
In March, April and May, for example, there were a total of 13 robberies reported.
For example, there were more burglaries in October than in the three months of March, April and May combined.
In October, 15 robberies were reported. There were 13 reported between March and May.
“The fourth quarter is up 50 percent” over last year’s fourth quarter, Hurliman said.
While there was a rash of downtown burglaries — including at a gas station on Howe Avenue — Hurliman said the crime wasn’t concentrated there.
In fact, since the beginning of 2010, there were nine commercial burglaries on Howe Avenue, while there were 13 on Bridgeport Avenue.
Cigarettes, Tools And A Safe
The fourth quarter robberies include two at Mill Variety and Video on Howe Avenue, one at the storage shed behind St. Lawrence Church, and several at businesses along Bridgeport Avenue.
At Mill Variety, owner Pramod Kandel said he was burglarized early in the morning on Oct. 20 and then again on Nov. 8. The first time, the thieves came in the front door, grabbed about 320 cigarette cartons and cleaned out the cash register.
After Kandel put bars on the door, the thieves smashed the front window. They used a BB gun to do it, Kandel said.
In December, thieves hit Outback Steakhouse, Brownson Country Club, a storage trailer on Waterview Drive and Il Palio restaurant. They made off with the safe from Il Palio, and some tools from the storage trailer and the country club.
Hurliman suggested businesses take precautions, such as installing alarm and surveillance systems.
“I know these things can sound like they’re expensive,” Hurliman said. “But even a simplified system can cut down on the incidents.”
Hurliman said the police department has also stepped up patrols in response to the burglaries.
In January 2011, the Shelton police department made an arrest in what they believe is a “well-organized” burglary ring in the area.
Hurliman said police are still investigating, and hope to make more arrests for 2010 burglaries soon.
Some Crime Down
While burglaries increased, other crimes saw big dips.
Assaults, for example, dropped in 2010.
In 2009, the city had 60 assaults. In 2010, there were only 37.
There were also fewer car accidents in 2010.
In 2009, there were 1,511 car accidents. Three people died in two of those accidents.
In 2010, there were 1,363 accidents. Three people died in three of those accidents.
