Cops last night beefed up patrols in parts of Staten Island as Mexican officials made plans to station a representative there to deal with a growing number of crimes against Hispanics — most of them Mexican.
After meeting with Police Commissioner Ray Kelly yesterday, Mexican Consul General Ruben Beltran said he would assign someone to Port Richmond to assist Mexican residents.
The representative, police said, will encourage victims to step forward if they become crime victims, assuring them they will not face immigration problems if they report a crime.
“I have a very good working relationship with Ruben Beltran,” Kelly said after the meeting.
“We are communicating, we continue to communicate. He is concerned, we understand his concern and we are working with him.”
The NYPD’s added patrols in the area will include unformed and plainclothes officers. Kelly said the additional patrols will be on foot and in squad cars, and that the Hate Crimes Task Force was “aggressively conducting investigations.”
Joining the extra cops on the street will be the Guardian Angels, whose volunteers, in their distinctive red berets, will add a visible presence in the neighborhoods.
“We welcome additional eyes and ears wherever we can get them,” the commissioner said. “We have a good working relationship with them.”
Eleven people have been attacked this year, most recently Friday, when a Mexican immigrant was beaten while walking home from a soccer game. The attack left the man with a broken jaw.
None of the victims suffered life-threatening injuries. Eight suspects have been busted in three of the incidents.
“One crime is one too many, and certainly, one hate crime is one hate crime too many,” Kelly said.