Boston police have arrested 222 people and issued summonses to dozens more in South Boston since launching a drug crackdown several weeks after the drug-related murder of a grandmother in her home last April, reports the city's Globe. The arrests, along with the issuance of 51 summonses, have not only reduced the open-air drug activity that has plagued busy areas but have diminished other crimes, such as robberies and prostitution, police said.

From April 16 through last Monday in District C-6, there was a 27 percent decrease in the most serious crimes, compared with the same time frame in 2011, police said. Those crimes include homicide, aggravated assault, rape, burglary, robbery, larceny, and vehicle theft. Overall, serious crime in the district has dipped 12 percent from the start of 2012, compared with 2011. The death of longtime resident Barbara Coyne, 67, sparked outrage by residents, and led to a community meeting days later at Tynan Elementary School that drew a large crowd. Many residents who attended that meeting said rampant drug dealing had thrown their community into a downward spiral of crime.