Crime in the subway system rose slightly in November, which NYPD officials said on Monday is largely due to grand larcenies committed by repeat offenders.
The city averaged about 7.7 major crimes per day in the transit system in November, or 232 crimes overall. This is up about 7.4 percent from November 2016, when the city saw 216 crimes reported in the transit system.
About 2⁄3 of crimes reported on the subway are grand larcenies, said Dermot Shea, chief of Crime Control Strategies. The largest increase was seen in Brooklyn and the Bronx.
“When you talk about the recidivism on certain crimes . . . how do we tackle small numbers of individuals, whether it’s cutting pockets of sleeping passengers or pickpockets on the F train, that drive those numbers,” he said, adding: “These are career criminals.
“It is a cat-and-mouse game that has been going on for quite some time,” he added.
So far this year, overall transit crime is up about 1 percent compared to last year, Shea said.
NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill said millions ride the subway each day and the statistics should be put into perspective.
“It’s one in a million,” he said, about becoming the victim of a crime on the subway in any given day. “Those numbers are really low.”
