MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — Milwaukee police issued a criminal offense alert on Jan. 27 for the town’s downtown “entertainment area” and the Murray Hill neighborhood, noting a rise in armed robberies and automotive break-ins.

“We’ve seen an increase in entry to autos around the entertainment district. Also on the east end, near the UWM area, an increase in armed robberies occurring in the Murray Hill neighborhood,” mentioned Milwaukee Police Inspector Shannon Seymer-Tabaska.

Those “entertainment areas” embody the Deer District and the Third Ward. The inspector says these crimes are occurring on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays between the hours of 4-7 p.m. and 11 p.m. to 2 a.m.

MPD is urging people to be vigilant when parking their vehicles. They advocate parking in well-lit areas, ensuring there aren’t any valuables in the car, and if weapons are in your automotive, be certain that they’re accurately saved in a lock field.

Seymer-Tabaska additionally recommends not carrying a visual purse, if doable, as thieves are focusing on cellphones and private luggage.

According to metropolis knowledge, robberies within the metropolis as an entire have elevated by 18%.

“It’s been Jan. 3 through Jan. 23 that we’ve seen this uptick. We’ve had 14 robberies occur in that concentrated area and around it,” mentioned Seymer-Tabaska.

She hopes with the saturation of patrol in these hotspot areas and the situational consciousness bulletins situated in these spots, robberies will lower.