New York City keeps getting safer, officials say.
The New York Police Department announced Monday that last month saw the fewest murders and shooting incidents out of any November in the city’s history.
This November, there were four fewer murders, 17 fewer shootings, and 656 fewer index crimes — the eight types of crimes that make up indexes, which are homicide, rape, robbery, burglary, aggravated assault, larceny over $50, motor vehicle theft and arson.
The city is in the midst of an “unprecedented reduction” in violent crime, officials said. In September, the NYPD announced that 2017 was on track to have the lowest violent crime rate on record.
“Crime in New York City has fallen steadily throughout 2017, and November was no different,” Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill said in a statement. “As we stand on the verge of a record-shattering year, Neighborhood Policing continues to deepen relationships between our communities and the NYPD. The enhanced trust and shared responsibility that come from these relationships will only drive crime lower.”
This November, 1,172 robberies were reported, a 9 percent decrease from Nov. 2016; about 1,400 felonious assaults were reported, a 13 percent decrease and 1,016 burglaries were reported, meaning a 6.9 decrease.
There more than 3,600 instances of grand larceny reported in November, marking a 5.4 percent decrease from last year and 480 cases of grand larceny of automobiles, a more than 11 percent decrease.
Those reductions are part of more than 5,100, or 5.5 percent, fewer index crimes reported year-to-date compared to 2016.
Thought crimes overall have lessened, the amount of rapes has gone up. There were 111 reported rapes in November, compared to 96 in November of 2016.
The Transit Bureau also recorded 20 percent more crimes this November compared to last.
“The bravest, most dedicated police force in the world continues to raise the bar,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement. “And it’s the department’s winning formula of working with communities to stop crime in its tracks that’s made New York City the safest big city in the country. I have no doubt the women and men of the NYPD will remain laser-focused on pushing crime even lower as our city closes in on an historic year in crime reduction.”
