Harvard Square is often the target of thieves for its close proximity of its restaurants and the high number of students.
In December, personal larcenies almost doubled from 1998, thanks again mostly to Square larcenies, the CPD's crime analysis unit reported.
HUPD places detail officers at ABP on weekend nights to deal with a variety of issues, and occasional plainclothes officer sweeps help to stem the larcenies, McNamara says.
Despite continued arrests, police know they can not stop all the pickpockets.
"We can't be in every restaurant, 24 hours a day," Pasquarello says.
Instead, police have been turning to the diners themselves, hoping a dose of education will be the cure. CPD recently produced a public service announcement about safeguarding valuables in public areas.
The single best way to prevent thefts, Pasquarello says, is to be aware of your surroundings, and not to hang valuable items on your chair--or, even worse, a coat rack.
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