Statistics released by the Boston Police last week show a significant decrease in crime citywide and on one of the two main police districts that cover Dorchester. There has been a six percent drop in reported incidents of so-called “Part One” crimes through July 29 of this year, compared to the same time frame in 2011.

There has been an increase in one key category, however: Burglaries (and attempted break-ins) are up both citywide and in the neighborhood, according to police figures. In District C-11, there have been 263 burglary incidents so far this year, compared with 255 over the first half of last year. District 11 has also seen a marked decrease in auto theft cases. There were 47 fewer incidents reported this year so far on the district.

“Right now, we’re seeing a bit of a spike in breaks between Park Street and Centre Street, which I’m concerned about,” said C-11 commander Capt. Richard Sexton. Police have distributed flyers to streets in that area, Sexton said. The break-ins have been happening during the day with criminals entering through open windows.

District B-3- which covers western precincts of Dorchester and Mattapan, saw an even bigger jump in commercial and residential break-ins (or attempts) with the number rising from 179 to 208 so far in 2012.

District C-11 has seen a six percent drop in serious crime overall, while B-3 is down just one percent from ’11. C-11 has seen a slight increase in aggravated assaults, but its murder count so far in 2012 stands at 2 homicides, a decrease of five from the year before.

District B-3 has recorded three murders, a drop from 2011 when the district saw 9 murders by the end of July ’11. Citywide, the murder rate has kept pace with the previous year, with 28 homicides recorded through the end of July in both years. District B-2, which includes parts of Dorchester including the Dudley Triangle and Uphams Corner, has seen two more homicides so far- rising from 5 to 7.

Police records also show that the number of firearm-related arrests are down this year to date: There have been 210 gun arrests — 67 fewer than last year, according to BPD. The number of reported shooting incidents is also down slightly by 10, going from 144 to 134. Most (118) were non-fatal incidents in which people were struck by gunfire.