 The Boston police are calling them land pirates as the amount of robberies in the common continues to rise. BUTV reporter Jessica Prattie has the story. Boston police are on alert for individuals they've dubbed land pirates. Now these individuals are thieves targeting victims in one of Boston's most popular areas, the Boston Common. The Boston police have estimated a 63 percent increase in robberies in the last year. The attackers are typically going after smartphones in the evening and early morning. There are some mornings so I'm an early arrival and sometimes I've even been spooked by my own shadow. So I don't know if I would consider myself feeling safe all the time. I'm always alert to my surroundings, I guess. I'm a little surprised about the cell phone thing. I've always kept that right by my side and I've never had anybody try to get it from me or take it or steal it from me. Despite the increase in attacks, some Bostonians don't feel any less safe in the common. In terms of robberies, I haven't really heard anything in terms of anyone getting mugged or anything like that. This is not a scary place at all. Police are expecting to put more clean clothes and uniformed officers in the area as the holidays approach. Back to you in the studio.