Boston Chinatown’s crime numbers saw a significant decrease last year, according to Boston Police Department reports.
Captain Bernard O'Rourke, who heads District A1 of the Boston Police Department said the total number of crimes in Chinatown is down from 372 in 2008 to 323 in 2009. There was no homicide case last year in Chinatown. All the statistics in assault, burglary, larceny, auto theft, and sexual crimes declined in the past year. Robbery is the only one that increased by one case.
The city’s Area A-1, which includes Charlestown, North End, West End, Beacon Hill, Government Center, Financial District, Chinatown, Bay Village, and Midtown, has also seen a decrease in the crime rate. A total of 3803 crimes were reported last year, compared to 4266 in 2008.
The number of crimes in Financial District accounts for nearly one-third of the total, and Bay Village ranks bottom by 97 crimes reported last year among all the nine neighborhoods that Area A-1 covers. Chinatown holds the fifth place.
The attendees at the safety meeting also listened to a proposal of a new hot pot restaurant that is going to open in Chinatown in two weeks.
The restaurant named Hot Pot Buffet is planning to move to 70-72 Beach Street and open on February 1. It has a seating capacity of 168 people, 46 on the first floor and 122 on the second floor.
The restaurant’s owners, Zhi Xing Lin and Wah Lam Ching have more than 40-year experience in the restaurant business. They have opened restaurants in Massachusetts, California, and Montana, including the Hanabi Japanese restaurant in Marshfield. Wah Lam Ching’s brother, Wah To Ching will also be in charge of the daily operations of the restaurant.
Ka-yung Wong, the restaurant’s lawyer said Wah To Ching has been certified by the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation for the ServSafe Food Protection Manager Program as well as by the American Red Cross for completing the ChokeSaver course.
Though a buffet restaurant, Hot Pot Buffet is a full service buffet restaurant where professional servers will bring the dishes directly from the kitchen to the table per customer’s order. There is no need for the customers to move around and their food.
Wong said the restaurant has more than 70 different hot pot food items, including old-time favorites as lamb, beef, squid and salmon at one low fixed price. He said there are also authentic Chinese hot pot items including bullfrogs, fish skin, freshwater eel, beef tongue, duck’s feet, congealed duck blood, goose liver and a large varieties of vegetables.
The restaurant proposed to run seven day a week from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. at midnight. But the city’s Community Service Sergeant Tom Lema said it is recommended all the businesses in Chinatown close before 1 a.m. because of safety concerns. Wong replied that the owners are willing to consider it.
