Gun violence continues to drop citywide, with the NYPD announcing Wednesday that the number of shooting incidents is down significantly compared to this time last year.
The number of shooting incidents for the first four months of 2023 is down 25.4% compared to the same four months in 2022. The drop equates to 112 fewer people being shot this year, compared to the first four months last year.
The decline has also played a role in the drop in the number of homicides, which are down 8.1% compared to a year ago. For the year through April 30, the NYPD reported that 125 people had been murdered, compared to 136 for the same period in 2022.
The NYPD report, however, focused heavily on the month of April, with major crime rising 3.8% compared to the same month last year.
Four of the seven major crime categories increased in April compared to the same month last year, with rape up 9.3%, felony assault up 7.1%, grand larceny up 1.7%, and grand larceny auto up a whopping 36.6%.
However, murders were down 5.9%, robberies declined 3.8%, and burglaries fell 12.3%.
The decline in burglary represents, in part, a drop in shoplifting, down 7.9% compared to April 2022, according to the NYPD. The police say that they continue to maintain a focus on the city’s commercial corridors and business districts.
Crime continues to fall on the city’s transit system, with major crime down 8.1% through the first four months of 2023, compared to the same period last year. The NYPD attributes the decline to the increased police presence in the subway system as well as greater engagement with riders. The reduction in transit crime also comes at a time when ridership has reached post-pandemic highs, with ridership surpassing 4 million on April 20.
The NYPD said that it is looking to combat the increase in auto theft, which is partly due to an uptick in stolen Kia and Hyundai models, where thieves have been able to exploit the vulnerabilities of the ignition system. The NYPD is conducting outreach notifying motorists of the benefits of GPS devices to track vehicles down.
Police said that they made 4,242 arrests—pertaining to the seven major crime categories– during the first four months this year, a 10.5% increase compared to same period last year. The NYPD said that it made more arrests in April than any April in the past 25 years.
