112 Precinct: Be On Alert For Crime In Nail Salons, Forest Hills Gardens

Local police from the 112 Precinct warned residents — especially those who frequent, work at or own local nail salons — to be wary. There have been three incidents in the 112 Precinct recently, including one robbery, all concentrated on local nail salons.

At the Community Board 6 meeting Wednesday night, Crime Prevention Officer Zena Vailes told board members and residents to be on the lookout when frequenting local nail salons.

Vailes also warned Forest Hills Gardens residents in the area of Ingram and Kessel Streets that there have been two burglary incidents in the area. Vailes said that two men on bikes have been seen burglarizing homes in the area during the day.

“We’ve had calls and no real hits yet, but cops have come out to investigate, and we want the public to know that this is going on,” she said. “If you see anything suspicious, call 911 and have us come over to investigate the situation.”

Overall, Vailes added, burglaries in the 112 Precinct are up eight percent in the year-to-date comparison to 2010, a number that she said officers in the area are working hard to keep down.

“That’s not a good thing, but it could be worse,” she added.

In addition, Vailes offered tips to residents to avoid being the victim of a pickpocket during the holiday shopping season. She advised women, when shopping, to keep their wallets and belongings close at hand, and to carry smaller purses rather than large bags.

“People are known to watch you, to watch all your moves; if you leave your handbag on the back of the chair, when you come back it’s not going to be there,” Vailes said. “We get comfortable in these areas and we feel like we’re secure, but we’re not.”

Visit From the Comptroller

The community board also got a visit from New York City Comptroller John Liu, who spent most of his time explaining what his office has been working on for the last few months. He touched on his investigation of the CityTime payroll scandal that has simmered for months.

One area that Liu wanted to address was his office’s recent audits of the Department of Education, and his efforts to streamline and make schools more cost-effective.

“The Department of Education has been a primary focus, not that we have anything against the DOE — they always feel like we have something against them,” Liu said. “They are a primary target because they are by far our largest budget item.”