Rape and murder rates rise in New York City in October

Rapes and murders continued to plague NYC in increasing numbers as subways became safer in October, NYPD officials reported Thursday.

Interim Commissioner Tom Donlon provided his second monthly report crime Data report to the city, following the resignation of former top police officer Edward Caban in September as part of an ongoing federal investigation.

The monthly report compares October 2024 to the same month in 2023.

In October, rapes rose by more than 30%. There were also five more murders in October 2024 compared to October 2023 (29 vs. 24).

However, if you look at the full There were 23 fewer murders in the calendar year from January 1 to October 31 than in the same period in 2023 (313 vs. 336).

The department also reported that there were three additional shootings citywide in October compared to the same month last year (81 compared to 78).although There have been 63 fewer shootings so far this year last year (774 vs. 837), a decrease of 7.5%.

On a more encouraging note, overall crime in the city continued to fall for the tenth month in a row in October, driven by sharp declines in assaults, grand thefts and robberiesdecreasing another 6.1 percent for the month (10,420 versus 11,094) and another 2% for the current year (104,328 versus 106,410).

NYPD officers made 9% more arrests significant Year-to-date index crimes (48,524 vs. 44,511).), and 8.3% more arrests in October 2024 compared to the same month last year (5,010 vs. 4,624), a result of increased enforcement in all five counties.

The department reported that subway crime decreased in October as there was a 26.3% decrease in serious crime compared to October 2023 (168 versus 228). Year to date, there have been 112 fewer index crimes reported in the transit system than last year (1,785 vs. 1,897), a decrease of 5.9 percent.

Donlon attributes the decline in some index and subway crimes to the combination of new technologies with traditional crime-fighting strategies.

“TThe men and women of the NYPD continually welcome new ideas and embrace new technologies be aimed for in reducing violence and disorder in New York City,” Donlon said. “In addition to these innovative approaches, our traditional crime-fighting strategies have also proven to be highly effective, as demonstrated by the success of our proactive enforcement efforts, particularly in the transit system.”

The commissioner added that more police officers in carriages and on platforms were aiding subway crimes reduction.

“TThe presence of uniformed police officers on subway platforms and in train carriages has given passengers a sense of security. and that is further supported by crime data,” Donlon said. “I Am I am deeply impressed by the unwavering dedication and determination that our officers in our city demonstrate day and night.”

Hate crimes in the city fell 8% in October compared to thim in the same month last year.

Since October 7, 2023, the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, anti-Semitic hate crimes have increased sharply. However, last month they fell – from 55 incidents in October 2023 to 33 in October 2024.