The NYPD on Tuesday released their monthly crime statistics for November, showing a decline in major crimes across the five boroughs — with murders, rapes, robberies and burglaries all seeing notable declines compared with November of 2021.
“Month after month, the NYPD continues to deliver on its public safety promise,” said NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban.
Year-over-year crimes trending down
Between Nov. 1 and Nov. 30, the NYPD recorded 29 murders on the streets of the five boroughs, compared with 31 killings during the same timeframe last year. When examining the first 11 months of the year, the city has seen a 10.9% reduction in homicides in 2023 — from 402 last year to 358 this year.
Similarly, the number of shootings declined 25.4% between January and November of this year, compared with last — as the NYPD recorded 902 incidents of gun violence during that timespan in 2023, compared with 1,209 through the first 11 months of 2022.
Police brass touted their 4,079 year-to-date gun arrests in 2023, which have helped remove 5,993 illegal firearms from Big Apple streets this year.
Crimes aboard New York City subways and buses are also down year-over-year, with 2,084 transit-based crimes this year, compared with 2,137 in 2022.
November 2023 vs. November 2022 crime index
The overall crime index, which counts seven categories of major crimes (murder, rape, felony assault, robbery, burglary, grand larceny, and grand larceny auto), saw a 4.1% decline this November, compared with November of 2022.
That month this year saw 10,009 major crimes, compared with 10,440 last year.
The only two of the seven major categories that saw increases this November were felony assaults (2,110 v. 2,092) and grand larceny auto (1,218 v. 1,137).
Meanwhile, arrests for major crimes increased in November, with 4,520 arrests this year, compared with 4,018 last year.
Hate crimes in NYC
While the overall trend is a positive one, the number of hate crimes in the five boroughs was notably up this November, compared with last.
In the 11th month of 2023, the NYPD Hate Crime Task Force investigated 96 bias-motivated felonies in the Big Apple, compared with 72 in the same month of 2022.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the increase in hate crimes is largely due to incidents targeting Jewish and Muslim New Yorkers.
November of this year saw 62 felonies targeting victims due to their Jewish faith — marking an increase of 32% from the 47 such incidents in November of 2022.
Similarly, the Hate Crime Task Force investigated seven bigotry-motivated crimes targeting Muslims in November, after not recording a single hate crime against Muslims in November of 2022.
The release of those statistics comes after FBI Director Christopher Wray told federal lawmakers that the Bureau has seen a 60 percent increase in hate crimes nationally in the wake of Hamas’ attacks in Israel on Oct. 7.
“The biggest chunk of those are threats against the Jewish community,” Wray said on Tuesday.
Those attacks, and the war that has erupted since, have propelled an increase in hate crimes across the country, with New York City not being spared from the increase.
Late last month, for example, a trio of bigots went on a violent spree in Brooklyn, where they beat up three Jewish individuals, including a 15-year-old boy, during a 40-minute span on Nov. 25. No arrests have been made in connection with those attacks.
Top NYPD brass pledged to continue their work to eliminate hate crimes, and all incidents of violence, in the five boroughs, saying they know there “is always more work to do.”
“There is always more work to do in every neighborhood, of course, and the men and women dedicated to protecting New York City are relentless in their mission,” said Caban, the NYPD commissioner. “Each day and night, they work in concert with all the people we serve to increase safety and enhance quality of life.”
