NYPD struggles with post-pandemic wave of violence as major crime stays steady at higher ratesBy Craig McCarthy and Steve Janoski
May 24, 2023
The NYPD has been struggling to halt the post-pandemic wave of violence — with overall major crime staying steady over last year, but still up more than 34% when compared to 2018, new police data shows.
Police statistics reveal that any progress made over the last year in five of the seven major crime categories was offset by a continued rise in felony assaults and car thefts, which were up 7.7% to 9,977 and 16.3% to 5,723, respectively, as of Sunday.
The NYPD has slowed the uptick in murders, which are down to 146 from 168 during the same time period last year. Experts say the trend is a result of Mayor Eric Adams’ focus on reducing gun violence — another pandemic-fueled surge — which has dipped more than a quarter this year compared to 2022, according to the data.
But other major categories — such as burglary, robbery, grand larceny and rape — each saw a decrease of only a few points, leaving overall crime rates up by just over 1% so far in 2023, according to the data.
The stats are more jarring when compared directly to pre-COVID numbers — every serious category logged double-digit jumps compared to 2018, when crime levels were 34.1% lower.
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Source:
https://nypost.com/2023/05/24/nypd-struggles-with-post-pandemic-crime-due-to-major-crime-rate/