The NYPD has declared war on crime in Greenwich Village, flooding the neighborhood with extra patrols, mounted cops and a mobile command center and light towers as part of an all-out push to eradicate a recent surge in violence and illegal activity in the area.
Police brass have reassigned nearly 20 additional patrolmen and sergeants, as well as a team of six horse-mounted officers, to the district of boutiques, bars and coffee shops, The Post has learned.
“This is something new because of the spike in crime,” one cop on horseback said. “There have been a lot of stabbings and muggings recently. We’re here to show an increased presence to deter those types of crimes.”
In one particularly vicious attack — part of the uptick in violence first reported in The Post two weeks ago — an off-duty cop was assaulted by a passer-by who shouted anti-gay slurs at him.
The NYPD reinforcements are being deployed every Friday and Saturday from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
There have been 43 assaults in the trendy neighborhood so far this year compared with 34 last year over the same six months, NYPD stats show.
In response, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly ordered cops to set up a mobile command center on Christopher Street between Washington and Greenwich streets to coordinate the stepped-up anti-crime effort in the Sixth Precinct, which stretches from the Hudson River to Seventh Avenue South.
Mobile light towers also have been erected to brighten the intersections of Hudson and Christopher streets and West Fourth Street and Sixth Avenue.
“This is a whole different atmosphere out here. If it wasn’t for the cops, it would be crazy,” said José Gonzalez, 33, an off-duty security guard who patrols with the Guardian Angels.
Many residents blamed the rise in crime on New Jersey youths who cause trouble as they head to the PATH train. Others blamed Crips and Bloods gang members.
Over the past month, there have been 100 narcotics arrests, compared with 53 last year during the same period. Overall, there has been a 20 percent jump in arrests: 992 this year compared with 827 last year.
“These people can sometimes be violent,” said a doorman at a luxury building on Christopher Street near Bleecker Street. “We need a lot more police out here. I’ve had 15 or 20 people fighting outside and storm their way into the building.”
Additional reporting by Chuck Bennett