BOSTON (Reuters) - Massachusetts’ governor on Thursday called for restrictions on gun purchases and more police on the street as part of a campaign against a wave of violence.
Boston, one of several U.S. cities facing a rise in violent crime, recorded 16 murders between January and April 1 -- 60 percent more than during the same period last year.
“We must step up our efforts, not just in law enforcement but also in community-wide crime prevention,” Gov. Deval Patrick said.
Patrick unveiled $6.2 million in spending for summer jobs and other programs aimed at reducing crime among youth. These include $550,000 for crime prevention and community policing in Boston, which would involve more officers.
The Democratic governor said his administration would submit several anti-crime proposals to the legislature including one that would bar people from buying more than one gun per month to cut down on the illegal resale of guns.
Another would make it harder for suspects accused of gun crimes to be released on bail prior to their trials.
Boston’s crime wave, including the March 30 fatal shooting of a former U.S. Army sergeant who returned from Iraq in 2004, has attracted national attention.
The Guardian Angels, a group that came to fame with citizen crime patrols on New York City subways during the 1970s and 80s, has begun patrolling Boston.
Its members, who wear distinctive red berets and satin jackets, got a cool reception from local law enforcement officials, who say policing is better carried out by the government.
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