After a year that saw property crime increase in the neighborhood, South End residents are still upset about the situation at Mass and Cass, which they say has worsened.

On March 20, the Boston Police Department (BPD) held a compstat meeting for District D-4, which covers the Fenway, Back Bay and South End. Started in 2023 by Police Commissioner Michael Cox, compstat meetings are a chance for the BPD to share crime trends and statistics with the community while soliciting feedback.

According to a presentation from Ryan Walsh, director of the Boston Regional Intelligence Center, a body that analyzes data for the BPD, Boston saw five percent less violent crime in 2023 than during the previous year, though both property and overall crime were up two percent.

Even with those slight increases, Walsh said, Boston is seeing much less crime than the early 2000s.

“We are an extremely safe city in comparison to other cities in the United States,” Walsh said, referencing a Gallup poll that ranked Boston as the second safest city in the country. “All of the data is saying that we are having success.”

In 2023, District D-4 saw an increase in crime, fueled mostly by spikes in robbery, shoplifting, vehicle break-ins, and other property crimes.

On a positive note, D-4 experienced a historically low level of firearm violence in 2023, Walsh said. Six people were shot in D-4 last year, a 24 percent decrease from 2022 and the lowest level of firearm violence since the 1990s.

Walsh added that, apart from violent and major property crimes, residents of the Fenway, Back Bay and South End should be on the lookout for phone scams, drink spiking and package theft.

Agreeing with Walsh, Lieutenant Matthew Hogardt said, “I do not recommend you have anything delivered to your house, flat out.”

After the BPD finished its presentation, residents peppered Cox and Captain Steven Sweeney, commander of District D-4, with questions about the Mass and Cass situation.

Though the residents thanked the officers for their work, they said that the South End has felt unsafe, even after the BPD cleared out the encampments over the fall. They asked how the commissioner and captain planned to keep the neighborhood safe, especially as the weather warms.

“It’s not always just crimes.

It’s the quality of life,” a resident said. “The crowds are growing. It’s unpredictable. I’d like to know what can be done.”

Cox promised to do everything he could, including devoting more resources to the area. He said that residents could help the BPD by calling whenever they see suspicious activity.

“Your responsibility in this is about information,” Cox said to the residents. “If we don’t hear about it, we can’t talk about how to make sure we get more people there.”

Other residents were worried about drug dealing at bus stops and loitering on private stoops. Cox reiterated that residents should call 911 if they need police assistance.