• ON THE RISE: The number of slayings in Boston has climbed from 31 in 1999 to 71 sop far this year.

n COUNTER TREND: Many other major U.S. cities are seeing their death tolls fall.

n WHAT WENT WRONG: The reasons given include a rising number of young people and the abandonment since the late 1990s of some anti-crime and anti-gang programs.

n WHAT TO DO: Boston police are conducting sweeps and targeting trouble spots.