Amid Upper East Side Fears, Police Could Boost Presence

The police commissioner is not ruling out bolstering police presence on Manhattan's Upper East Side in response to growing fears among residents that violent crime is on the rise.

"Obviously if the citizens are concerned, we're concerned," Commissioner Raymond Kelly said yesterday at a press conference.

On Wednesday, more than 100 Upper East Side residents attended a community meeting to discuss a series of muggings that many felt was reminiscent of the city's earlier, more crime-ridden days. Some residents raised the possibility that community organizations could hire their own security to patrol the area if they decide the police are providing inadequate protection.

Police officials have said that recent incidents, including a pair of muggings on East 81st Street and East 83rd Street in the last month, are unrelated and not indicative of a trend, but some residents have suggested that further crimes are not being reported to the police.

"It sounds as if people are frustrated," a co-chairwoman of the 100-299 East 77th Street Block Association, Nikki Henkin, said yesterday in an interview. "People feel they are not getting alerts about crimes and that they haven't been publicized."

Mr. Kelly noted yesterday that statistics showed both assault and robbery cases are down 25% from last year, but he said he would confer with local officials to determine if changes needed to be made to protect residents.

"One robbery is, of course, one too many," Mr. Kelly said. "We'll talk to the precinct commander, the borough commander, and make certain that the appropriate resources are deployed in the area."