October saw crime in New York City increase by 5.9% — the lowest such jump in major felonies so far in 2022, the NYPD announced Thursday.
According to NYPD statistics, 10,930 crimes in October 2022, compared to 10,324 in October 2021. It was the smallest crime increase this calendar year; every other month in 2022 experienced felony spikes of double-digit percentage points.
Almost every category of crime increased last month, with the exceptions being murder, which saw a 32.6% decrease in October 2022 with 29 reported cases compared to 43 in October 2021, and felony assaults decreased from 2,227 crimes in October 2021 to 2,088 in October 2022, a 6.2% decrease.
The NYPD noted that the increase was primarily driven by the number of grand larcenies, which saw a 9.6% increase from 4,163 crimes in October 2021 to 4,564 crimes in October 2022; burglaries, which rose 8.9% from 1,274 in October 2021 to 1,388 in October 2022; and grand larceny auto crimes, which increased from 1,043 in October 2021 to 1,244 in October 2022, a 19.3% increase.
Robberies saw a slight 1.7% increase compared to October 2021 (1,478 last month compared to 1,454 in 2021). Rape increased from 120 in October 2021 to 139 in October 2022, but the NYPD acknowledges that rape continues to be underreported.
“Keeping New Yorkers safe is our mission – and the NYPD’s commitment to the public will never waver,” said Police Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell. “Our work to suppress violence, to maintain order on our streets and in our subway stations is intelligence-driven, flexible, and focused on prevention. Our officers are elevating their work every day – particularly in the subway system where the public is seeing our visible presence, extensive coverage in trains and platforms, and more engagement with riders and those who work in the system.”
According to NYPD data, the number of citywide shooting incidents decreased by 33.6% last month, with 85 in October 2022 compared to 128 in 2021. So far this year, 15 fewer people have suffered gunshots in the city, compared to the same period last year, and the number of citywide gun arrests rose 4.3% through October 2022.
NYPD credits the decrease in gun violence to the department’s ongoing work to deploy officers into neighborhoods, public housing areas, and transit stations that need them most.
Statistics from the department say that the NYPD made 4,367 arrests for complaints of major felony crimes, a 16.5% increase over the 3,749 arrests for major felonies made in October 2021. Arrests for major felonies are up 25.8% so far in calendar 2022, compared with the first 10 months of 2021.
