Does the Roslyn area have a crime problem? Or, at least, one more severe than what crimes usually do occur? In the past few weeks, residents have been calling The Roslyn News to say, in fact, that crime is on the upswing. Specifically, they refer to residential break-ins, especially those that occur in the evening hours, between 5 and 7 p.m. One resident claimed that recently, there were "30 robberies in 30 days."

In fact, the Village of East Hills board of trustees has scheduled a public meeting on the burglary problem, one to be held Thursday, Feb. 28 at 7:30 p.m. at the Harbor Hill Road cafeteria.

A check of the weekly 6th Precinct police reports, the jurisdiction which includes the Roslyn area, reveals that Roslyn does have its share of business and residential burglaries, although not nearly as many as those that take place in the Great Neck area.

During the first week of February, for instance, there were four residential burglaries in East Hills. Two of them took place at a vacant house that is currently on the market, while another happened while the residents were apparently on vacation (the burglary was reported to have taken place between noon on Jan. 29 and 7 a.m. on Feb. 4). Of the other two burglaries, one was reported to have taken place between 5:30 p.m. and 9:15 a.m., thus covering a large period of time, while the other occurred between 6:15 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., the time when residents say houses are most vulnerable to such crimes.

Looking at the last six weeks, the week from Jan. 1 to Jan. 8 saw four residential burglaries in the Roslyn area. That included break-ins in Greenvale, East Hills, Roslyn Heights, and Glen Head. In addition, three more burglaries took place during the space of two days alone, Jan. 10 and 11. Of the three, two took place in Glen Head, the other in Greenvale. So the first two weeks of January did see an epidemic of break-ins in the area.

When times of all burglaries over January and so in February could be narrowed down slightly, six of them took place during morning hours, while only three happened in the evening.

What can homeowners do about the situation? Well, in addition to taking their own precautions, neighborhood groups can get some help from the Nassau County Police Department. The department does not have any literature on the subject, but its Community Projects Bureau does have speakers available who will come to Roslyn and give a talk, explaining certain tips that can be used to keep would-be burglars at bay. All residents have to do is organize a meeting at a local school, library, or community center and the speakers, when their schedule permits, will hold a forum, where they will not only give their tips, but answer any questions. The bureau can be reached at 573-5000.