Eric Adams promotes a decline in murders and shootings in NYC in his annual report

According to the city's annual report released by Mayor Eric Adams on Monday, the number of murders and shootings in the Big Apple has declined significantly over the past fiscal year.

While crime continued to rise sharply in some areas, such as tourist-crowded Midtown Manhattan, the city performed better overall between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024, compared to the same period last year, the report said.

Murder and manslaughter fell by 15%, from 424 to 359 crimes.

The number of shootings fell by 18 percent, from 1,140 to 932, and the report notes a sharp decline in gang violence.

The number of arrests for firearm possession decreased by 10%, from 6,837 to 6,129.

The number of burglaries also fell by 13% during the same period, from 15,054 to 13,142.

The number of rapes fell by two percent, from 1,090 to 1,070, while aggravated thefts and serious crimes on public transport fell by three percent, the report said.

Yet overall serious crime has barely declined, down 1%, and as the Washington Post reported Sunday, crime has skyrocketed this year in the city's tourist hotspots, including Times Square.

“We work every day to make this city safer and more affordable,” Adams said in a statement.

“Since the beginning of this administration, we have taken more than 18,000 illegal guns off the streets and focused on strategic, data-driven policing strategies to keep New Yorkers safer. And these numbers show that our efforts are working: overall crime is down, both above and below ground, and we have the fewest gang incidents since 2014,” said Hizzoner, a former NYPD captain and transit cop.

He thanked the NYPD for the progress.

But in Midtown, the NYPD's dismal crime statistics show that law enforcement is still struggling.

Compared to the same period in 2023, through September 8, robberies increased by more than 90% and aggravated assaults increased by nearly 73% in the Manhattan North Precinct, which includes areas such as Radio City Music Hall, Rockefeller Plaza, the Theater District, and St. Patrick's Cathedral.

The number of murders in the city's subway system has also increased by 60 percent so far this year, while overall crime on the rails has declined.

As of September 8, eight people have been killed in subway cars or stations, compared to just five during the same period last year, according to NYPD data. The rise in subway homicides is approaching a 25-year high, reached in 2022 with 10 murders.

Adams is touting favorable crime statistics while the NYPD is embroiled in a federal corruption investigation that led to the resignation of Police Commissioner Edward Caban last week. No one, including Caban, has been charged with wrongdoing. Tom Donlon has been named interim chief.