Crime in New York City’s subway system fell by 23% in March in comparison to the similar duration last year because the NYPD despatched loads of further officials to journey the rails and stay straphangers secure, the dept’s newest statistics display.
Following a number of high-profile shootings and random assaults in the subway, the NYPD despatched just about 2,000 further officials underground this year to discourage crime. About 800 new cops have been assigned to transit past due last month as section of a brand new initiative to crack down on fare evasion. Gov. Hochul additionally despatched the National Guard into town’s subway stations to behavior bag assessments at main transit hubs.
The further cops will keep on the subways indefinitely, City Hall spokeswoman Kayla Mamelak advised the Daily News on Wednesday, including that there’s no finish date or crime benchmark that can cause their removing.
The fast effects from the higher police presence had Mayor Adams crowing all through a press convention with NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban at police headquarters referring to quarterly crime stats.
“We’re down in crime in the subway system folks,” Adams advised newshounds. “Can we please stop saying we’re up in crime in the subway system? We are not. We are down in crime in the subway system.”
Police recorded 166 legal crimes at town teach stations in March, 51 not up to the 217 recorded in March 2023, NYPD officers mentioned.
Cops additionally noticed a 51% drop in robberies, a ten% drop in legal attacks and a fifteen% drop in pickpocketing and thefts of mobile phones, credit playing cards and different pieces with a worth of over $1,000 in comparison to the similar month last year.
Arrests in the subway have been up via 53% and 22 weapons were taken from straphangers, 10 greater than last March, NYPD statistics display.
March’s decline in crime, then again, did little to steadiness out the spikes the subways suffered previous in the year.
Crime in the subway device was once simplest down via 1% in the primary quarter, with simply six fewer crimes than the 544 reported via the tip of March a year previous, consistent with NYPD statistics. Transit cops have been additionally nonetheless combating a 4% bounce in legal attacks, from 135 last year to 141 as of March 31, in addition to will increase in homicides and shootings.
Four folks were killed on the rails this year, police mentioned — 3 greater than last year. Eight straphangers have additionally been shot, seven greater than last year, cops mentioned.
Public protection fared a little higher above floor with a 17% drop in homicides, from 99 last year to 82, and an 18% drop in shootings, which plummeted from 222 via the tip of March 2023 to 181.
Cops have been nonetheless combating a bounce in robberies and legal attacks, which noticed a 4% and a three% bounce respectively for the year, cops mentioned.
Three out of town’s 5 boroughs noticed a discount in shootings and greater than 1,500 weapons were taken off the streets, mentioned Caban.
“It is highly encouraging to see the tangible results of our hard work,” Caban mentioned. “The investments we are making is clearly paying dividends.”
Caban mentioned crime can be lowered even additional if one thing can be finished about recidivist criminals who’re repeatedly rearrested after which launched with out bail.
The consistent rearresting of profession criminals have pushed up arrests to “a 25 year high,” Caban mentioned.
“In many cases we arrest the same people over and over again,” Caban mentioned. “It’s extremely irritating to legislation enforcement. It’s unfair to legislation abiding electorate and has a adverse affect on each precise and perceived public protection.
“It’s past time we start taking this seriously,” Caban mentioned. “New York is fed up with the revolving door.”
Adams additionally bashed recidivist criminals, encouraging judges to make use of the ability they sway to reserve defendants held on bail.
“We know the biggest challenge that we are facing as I say over and over again is in three areas — recidivism, recidivism, recidivism,” the mayor mentioned. “There are too many bad people who are doing bad things to the good people of this city and they believe they have the right to do that. A small number of people are committing a large number of crimes.”
But consistent with the City Council, the mayor has slashed some of the very methods that would deal with recidivism.
“Many of these programs have been the target of cuts or have lacked investment over the past year,” Council Speaker Adrienne Adams mentioned Monday. “All of these help reduce recidivism and deserve resources. The city has a responsibility to invest in programs that reduce recidivism rather than cutting them.”
With Graham Rayman and Chris Sommerfeldt