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Weekend of crime has some community members asking for increased public safety

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – A weekend of violent crime in western Massachusetts has some community members calling for increased public safety. Some are calling for increased security at public places or gun reform, but overall people remain confident in current public safety practices.

On Saturday, a shooting at the Holyoke Mall left an innocent bystander dead and in Springfield, a woman was found stabbed over the weekend in the parking lot of 100 Liberty street, she later died of her injuries. Another shooting on Sunday in Springfield injured a juvenile victim and an adult woman.

These incidents are raising questions on public safety practices. 22News asked local residents their thoughts on current safety measures, and if there’s anything they’d like to see change.

“Well, I really hope we get better about our gun violence laws, so people can’t just do that and they don’t have the access to guns and stuff like that,” said Rowan Justice of Holyoke.

Others believe current public safety measures are sufficient but individual aggressive behaviors need to be addressed.

“Overall, I don’t really feel that there’s anything unsafe about these locations,” said Dan Szafran of Springfield. “You know part of it, I think, is just trying to be nicer to each other. You never know what people are going through and it’s just kind of like be mindful of where you are, try to be as polite as you can and stuff like that.”

According to a recent report from the Springfield Police Department, overall crime decreased last year by 6-percent and the number of murders in the city has also been on a downward trend.

The Holyoke Mall has also held emergency response drills in the past, as recently as September of 2022, to enhance preparedness and training.