BROOKLINE, MASS. — Brookline turned down annexation by Boston in 1873. A century and a half later, the decision has left it as an independent town of 63,266 residents completely surrounded by a city eight times its size — bordering six different Boston neighborhoods along a boundary that runs through dense apartment blocks, hospital campuses, and single-family streets with almost no natural buffer.
By Derek Kreymer, Operations Manager
Hub Security and Investigative Group provides security guard services in Brookline, MA — armed and unarmed guards, mobile patrol, and licensed private investigation services — for a Norfolk County town of 63,266 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate) that operates as a Boston exclave. Brookline is home to the John F. Kennedy National Historic Site, the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, Larz Anderson Park, and a Boston Children’s Hospital campus that sits inside town limits along the Longwood medical corridor.
Security Built Around Brookline’s Districts
Brookline runs as a string of distinct village centers rather than one continuous downtown, and each draws a different kind of security work. Coolidge Corner and Washington Square combine retail strips with dense apartment buildings, where Hub provides retail security alongside residential security patrols for multi-unit properties.
Brookline Village and the Longwood medical corridor host offices, medical buildings, and institutional campuses that rely on Hub for corporate security. Chestnut Hill’s larger single-family properties and estate-style homes are a steady source of demand for dedicated residential security guards. Renovation activity in the town’s strict single-family zoning districts — some of the oldest such zoning in the country, dating to 1924 — keeps Hub’s construction site security teams busy on high-value residential projects.
What Local Crime Data Actually Shows
Brookline recorded a violent crime rate of 1.02 per 1,000 residents in the most recent reporting year, according to data compiled by NeighborhoodScout — well below the Massachusetts state average of 3.15 per 1,000. The same data recorded zero murders and a property crime rate of 8.99 per 1,000, also below the state average of 11.12. NeighborhoodScout ranks Brookline as safer than 40 percent of U.S. cities.
Low violent crime numbers do not eliminate risk for Brookline property owners. The town’s exclave geometry means a resident or business can be blocks from higher-crime sections of Boston without crossing any visible boundary, and property crime — burglary, package theft, vehicle break-ins — tracks closer to the state average than violent crime does. Hub Security treats border-adjacent blocks as a distinct coverage category rather than assuming town lines equal risk lines.
Coverage by District
| District | Key Local Features | Hub Security Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Coolidge Corner / Washington Square | Retail strips, dense apartment buildings | Retail security, residential patrol |
| Brookline Village / Longwood | Medical and institutional campuses, offices | Corporate security |
| Chestnut Hill | Estate-style single-family homes | Residential security guards |
| Boston-border blocks | Dense residential streets adjoining Boston neighborhoods | Mobile patrol, boundary-area coverage |
What Hub Security Provides in Brookline
- Retail security for storefronts and small businesses in Coolidge Corner and Washington Square
- Residential security patrols for apartment buildings and multi-unit properties
- Dedicated residential guards for single-family and estate properties in Chestnut Hill
- Corporate security for offices and institutional buildings near the Longwood medical corridor
- Construction site security for renovation and new-build projects in single-family zoning districts
- Background check services and corporate investigations for Brookline employers
Serving Brookline and the Surrounding Area
Hub Security and Investigative Group covers Brookline as part of the same Greater Boston and MetroWest patrol network that serves the neighboring communities on every side of the town’s border. Brookline clients are frequently on the same coverage routes as:
Why Brookline Businesses and Residents Choose Hub
- Massachusetts-licensed for both security guard services and private investigation services
- Fully insured, with background-checked and trained officers
- GPS patrol tracking and unannounced supervisor inspections on every shift
- Local management that knows Brookline’s village centers and its Boston border — not a national call center or app-based guard broker
- 24/7 emergency dispatch at (617) 857-1200
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Brookline, MA a high-crime area? No. Brookline’s violent crime rate of 1.02 per 1,000 residents is well below the Massachusetts state average of 3.15, and its property crime rate of 8.99 per 1,000 is also below the state average of 11.12, according to NeighborhoodScout.
Does Hub Security patrol blocks near the Boston border? Yes. Because Brookline is surrounded by Boston on nearly every side, Hub treats border-adjacent blocks as their own coverage category rather than assuming risk stops at the town line.
Does Hub Security provide security for medical and institutional buildings near Longwood? Yes. Hub provides corporate security for offices and institutional buildings in the Brookline Village and Longwood corridor.
Is Hub Security licensed to operate in Brookline, MA? Yes. Hub Security and Investigative Group is licensed in Massachusetts for both security guard services and private investigation services, and holds all required state licensing to operate in Brookline and throughout Norfolk County.
Call Hub Security & Investigative Group at (617) 857-1200 for a free consultation on security guard services in Brookline, MA, or request a quote online.