On Monday, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu recapped Boston's public safety efforts across neighborhoods over the last year. Mayor Wu, along with the Boston Police Department, Boston Fire Department, Boston Emergency Medical Services, and the Boston Public Health Commission’s Office of Violence Prevention, shared updates on Boston’s work to be the safest major city in the country. Over the course of this year, the public safety teams responded to hundreds of thousands of calls, including 5,000 low-acuity behavioral health calls, and removed 673 guns from City streets. The City expanded the Office of Violence Prevention, awarded more than 120 EMT course scholarships, and welcomed 268 new recruits to Boston Police. These efforts build on Mayor Wu’s work to make Boston a home for everyone.

“Boston is safe because these teams work so well together. Their work ensures that residents can enjoy community events like block parties, ball games, parades and festivals,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “Their care, hard work, and empathy make Boston the safest major city in the country. This is what it means to be a home for everyone and to be fighting everyday for residents in every neighborhood – earning trust through our actions 24 hours a day.”

The Boston Police Department has continued to increase community policing efforts across neighborhoods. This year, officers attended 1,400 community meetings, hosted more than 160 Coffee with a Cop events, and conducted approximately 2,600 meet and greet events. The City achieved historic low numbers of shooting victims and incidents of gunfire and firearm violence, down more than 30% compared to the five-year averages. In 2024, the City recorded a 67-year low number of homicides. In 2025, Boston saw a 16% decrease in homicides, compared to the five-year average.

“The Boston Police Department continues to rely on the Community as our most valued partner in public safety in the City. Our mission is Community Policing, which is all about building trust and collaboration to address the issues that matter most to the residents of Boston,” said Commissioner Michael Cox, Boston Police Department. “2025 has been a challenging year, but together with our City partners and the community we continue to make progress in a number of areas, including: violent crime, retail theft, quality of life issues and scooter/moped related dangerous and criminal behavior. We credit any success we have to the dedication of our officers, and our residents' willingness to participate in public safety with us. We are grateful for their partnership.”

In an effort to improve residents' quality of life and support businesses, the Boston Police Department has implemented strategies combating retail theft throughout every neighborhood. The Safe Shopping Initiative, launched in 2024, partners with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office and the retail community to address this issue. Under Mayor Wu’s leadership, this initiative was expanded and has led to a 113% increase in arrests for retail theft in 2025, as well as a substantial increase in timely and more detailed reporting by retailers. This increased reporting supports BPD’s ability to address repeat, violent, and high-volume offenders and ensures that residents, visitors, shoppers and retail staff are safe.

In an effort to improve quality of life and address unlawful behavior in Downtown and in the area surrounding Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard, Boston Police continue to  implement various strategies. Around Downtown, overall violent crime declined 24% this year and directed patrols in this area increased 31% compared to 2024. Officers also made 48% more arrests, including 30% more drug arrests this year. Additionally, quality of life calls for the Downtown area have declined by 36%. In the area around Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard, quality of life calls for service have decreased by 10% and arrests increased 54%. Total violent crime in the Mass and Cass area decreased 8% and property crime decreased 10% year to date compared to 2024.

Building on the City’s efforts to address street safety concerns around the improper use of scooters or mopeds, Boston Police continue to use various measures to address this ongoing issue. According to feedback from residents across neighborhoods, data shows that this is not only a quality of life and traffic safety issue - motor scooters have been used in a number of violent incidents. This year, BPD has increased its focus on educating operators regarding registration requirements and where appropriate, seizing and towing these vehicles. To date, BPD officers have seized 840 motor scooters, including 160 from the Downtown area in 2025, an increase of 22% in seizures compared to 2024.

Earlier this year, the Community Safety Team merged with the Boston Public Health Commission’s Office of Violence Prevention, successfully expanding several crucial initiatives to keep Boston the safest major city in the country. The City has also allocated over $1 million to the long-term plan to end violence, which serves as the core for much of the work owned by the Office. In the new year, the Office of Violence Prevention will continue to expand investments in the primary prevention space and focus on secondary and tertiary violence prevention. This includes the Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative, shifting to a citywide focus to address resident needs in additional areas across the city, and the Community Healing and Response Network supporting multiple families in long and short-term recovery and connecting survivors of violence to high-quality resources that are needed throughout their recovery journey.