PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey says the city’s first casino has not created an uptick in crime in that area.

At a hearing, Philadelphia City Council members wanted to know whether the SugarHouse Casino on North Delaware Avenue has brought a rash of crime to that area since it opened last fall.

The answer, from Commissioner Ramsey, was an unequivocal no.

“We’ve not seen a significant spike. There’ve been some car break-ins, there’ve been some robberies that have taken place that obviously made the paper, with people who had won and were later robbed. But it actually has not been as bad as we thought it would be initially.”

Ramsey’s department has a specific unit now for casino patrol, and he’s relieved that things have gone well. And one of his aides told Council that residents nearby have said they’ve been pleasantly surprised as well.

Reported by Mike Dunn, KYW Newsradio 1060