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NYC crime up nearly 60% in February, NYPD says

By FOX 5 NY Staff
Updated  March 3, 2022 10:35pm EST
New York City
FOX 5 NY

Crime up in NYC in February

For the second month in a row, crime is on the rise in New York City according to the latest statistics from the NYPD.

NEW YORK - For the second month in a row, crime in New York City increased again, rising by nearly 60% last month, as compared to February 2021.

According to the latest figures released by the NYPD, every major crime category saw an increase in February 2022, although citywide shooting incidents did see a slight decrease.

Murders increased by 3 in February, from 29 to 32, while shootings across the city fell by one, from 77 to 76.

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However, several other categories saw jaw-dropping increases, led by car theft, which saw a staggering 104.7% increase, from 529 to 1083. 

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Grand larceny spiked as well, with an increase of over 1,600 incidents in February 2022 leading to a 79.2% increase over February 2021.

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Robberies increased by 56%, burglaries by nearly 44%, rapes by 35%, and assaults by 22%. 

The city's transit system was not spared from the increase in crime, with 182 incidents reported in February 2022, a 73.3% increase over the same month in 2021.

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Also concerning was that hate crimes also saw a major increase in February, with the city's Jewish population bearing the brunt of the crime. Attacks on Jewish people saw a stunning increase of 409%, increasing from 11 in February 2021 to 56, and making up over half of the 107 hate crimes reported to police last month. 

Growing concerns in NYC Jewish community

The NYPD says that anti-Semitic incident are on the rise in New York City.

A total of 9,138 crimes were reported to authorities over the course of February 2022, a 58.7% increase over the 5,759 reported in February of 2021. 

NYC crime up nearly 40 percent, NYPD says

"The men and women of the New York City Police Department are proactively addressing the deep-rooted causes of criminal behavior," said Police Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell said in a statement. "The NYPD will never relent, and the department has made far too much progress over the decades – and invested far too much in the communities it serves – to fall back by any measure. New Yorkers deserve better."

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New Mayor Eric Adams has seen crime across the city tick up in both of his first two months in office, as crime in January 2022 increased by 40% as opposed to January 2021.

According to a recent poll, nearly three-quarters of New York City voters say they consider crime to be a "very serious" problem, the highest percentage since polling began in 1999.

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With violent crimes surging, a new poll finds most New Yorkers are living in fear of becoming a victim.

Last month, Adams urged state lawmakers to make changes to New York's controversial bail reform law, in order to allow judges to consider if a person is dangerous before letting them out of jail.

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He also met with President Joe Biden, who pledged to New Yorkers and the nation that the federal government would step up its fight against gun violence.

Adams has also rolled out a new plan to make the city's subways safer for riders, by increasing law enforcement and creating a pathway to care for homeless and mentally ill people. 

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