Robbery and aggravated assault also saw declines, though there were more auto thefts — rising from eight to 14.

The results, which compare data through June 28 with the same period last year, were led by a much lower rate of larceny reports. Officials have made thefts, especially those involving bicycles, a focal point of their strategy. There have been 180 larcenies reported to authorities so far this year, compared with 317 over the same time last year.

The MBTA system has seen reports of major crimes drop by 31 percent during the first half of 2016, a decline that Transit Police officials said shows the early success of efforts to better align patrols with prime ridership times.


Transit Police Superintendent Richard Sullivan said he believes changes instituted in March helped keep the numbers down. The agency’s new patrol plan targets periods of time and stations that are more prone to crime. Previously, police maintained consistent staffing through the week.

“Presence alone is a great deterrent,” Sullivan said. He said the officers of the force deserve the bulk of the credit for the results.

“The number-one reason we are having success is the men and women of the Transit Police Department,” he said. “It’s a tough, challenging, thankless job, and our officers do it day in and day out admirably.”

Major crimes include homicide, rape/assault to rape, robbery, aggravated assaulted, burglary, larceny, auto theft, and arson.

Though such incidents remained relatively rare on the T last year, with just over 1,000 reported, the recent changes came after a 7 percent year-over-year increase in 2015.

Bike thefts played a major role, and Sullivan said police have sought to deter larceny by visibly stationing officers near bike storage areas. The agency has also encouraged people to make sure they always lock their bicycles, and to avoid leaving them in storage for extended periods.


“If your bike’s unsecured, it’s an easy target. And if a criminal’s so inclined, your bike is gone,” he said.

He said bike thefts are down more than 50 percent this year, a major factor in the overall decrease.

Transit Police reported 340 crimes in the first half of the year compared with 493 in 2015. There have been no homicides reported on the system in 2016, and one assault to rape, Sullivan said.

Paul Regan, executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board, which represents the cities and towns served by the transit agency, said the group’s members generally have been pleased by the progress police made this year.

“You want to prevent all the crime you possibly can, and there’s no acceptable level of crime,” he said. “That being said, they work hard, and I think that’s reflected in the attitude of the customers — that they feel safe.”

Andy Rosen can be reached at andrew.rosen@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @andyrosen.