SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- San Francisco Mayor London Breed Friday called on residents of the country's oldest Chinatown to be on high alert for crime ahead of the Chinese lunar New Year, which falls on Jan. 25 this year.

Addressing the 23rd Lunar New Year Crime Prevention and Public Safety Awareness Campaign in San Francisco's Chinatown, Breed advised people in Chinatown to "do a good job" of looking out for one another, especially senior residents, during their celebrations of the upcoming new year.

She said public safety is paramount during Chinese New Year, reminding residents that Chinatown is facing challenges such as thefts, robberies and other crimes.

As well as assigning more bilingual police officers capable of speaking Chinese and English to patrol the community, Breed promised the installation of more surveillance cameras in the area.

William Scott, chief of the San Francisco Police Department, admitted there were public security challenges in the Chinatown area.

He said San Francisco currently has its lowest rate of homicide since 1961, though the city has always been plagued by crimes of assault or car break-ins.

"We've had a number of high profile incidents that have happened in this community over the course of this past year," he said, suggesting a few cases of robbery and assault of senior residents in Chinatown.

Last July, two senior residents, both community leaders, were viciously assaulted while crossing a Chinatown street in broad daylight.

Meanwhile, last November, two seniors were attacked and knocked to the ground by a group of four men at Chinatown's Portsmouth Square.

Such crimes have aroused fear among seniors in the Chinese community, with many worrying about public safety being eroded in the area where they have lived for decades.