NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Crime in New York City rose for the second month in a row, after starting 2021 off with two months of decline, according to statistics released Wednesday.
Overall index crime in the city jumped 30.4% last month, as compared to April 2020, due largely to an uptick in felony assaults and grand larceny.
Shootings also continue to remain a problem in the city, with another 149 incidents recorded in April — up 166.1% from the 56 incidents in April 2020.
Still, the NYPD recorded 223 gun arrests citywide, accounting for a 3.7% increase from last year.
Throughout the month, the NYPD saw a 66% increase in grand larceny and 35.6% increase in felony assaults. Robberies in the five boroughs also increased compared to April 2020 by 28.6%.
Burglary was the only index crime that saw a decline. The numbers fell 26% from 1,155 in April 2020 to 855 last month.
“The NYPD is relentless in its mission to maintain public safety for all New Yorkers,” said Police Commissioner Dermot Shea. “The selfless work our officers carry out – day after day, night after night – is one important part of the entire criminal justice system’s process, a process where all pieces must work together to be wholly effective.”
While the MTA in recent weeks has been pushing for more police officers to patrol the city’s subway system to ease customers’ fears of violence, the NYPD has insisted that the subways are safe and crime is down.
On Wednesday, data from the NYPD continued to support that sentiment, showing crimes on the city’s transit network had fallen by 10.5% from 124 incidents in April 2020 to 111 incidents in April 2021.
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