Crime Spikes In NYC, Criminals Have No Fear Of Consequences: Cops

NEW YORK CITY — The city's crime wave did not slow last month with increases in shootings, transit and hate crimes, NYPD data show.

The city's crime index — which tracks the rate of city felonies such as murder, rape, hate crimes and burglary — jumped 37 percent in March as compared to the same month in 2021, the NYPD said Wednesday.

"This is not what New Yorkers expect or deserve," said NYPD Police Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell.

The commissioner blamed the increase in crime on, "a perception among criminals that there are no consequences."

While New York City saw a near 16 percent drop in murders as compared to March 2021 — 32 were reported last month — theft, felony assaults, transit and hate crimes all increased, the data show.

Transit crime jumped more than 50 percent with 180 reported in March as compared to 118 in March 2021, months after Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul announced an increase in police presence in city subways.

Transit crimes last month include lynching flyers found in a Brooklyn subway and a teenager who tried to jump a toll in Bed-Stuy then resisted arrest, as was seen on viral video shared by an outraged city council member.

Shootings increased by 16 percent to 115 in March 2022 and hate crimes saw a disturbing 16 percent jump, according to the data.

Specifically, crimes targeting Black New Yorkers increased to seven in March 2022, antisemitic hate crime spiked 92 percent to 23 last month, and hate crimes based on sexual orientation jumped 233 percent to 10 in March 2022.

The city saw decreases in anti-Asian as well as anti-Hispanic hate crimes, and the number of anti-white hate crimes remained the same at zero.

Murder arrests — which included a convicted serial killer found with a human head and the fatal shoving of a beloved celebrity vocal coach — dropped 6 percent to 32 in total, police said.

Last month, the NYPD unrolled two controversial new policing tactics; the return of the controversial anti-gun unit was deployed on March 14 and a crackdown on quality-of-life offenses was announced on March 23.

“The NYPD will continue to provide fair, effective, and responsive policing that best reflects the needs of the communities we serve,” said Sewell.

“But the NYPD needs the steadfast commitment of all its partners, pulling in the same direction, to realize our goal of public safety for every New Yorker.”