The NYPD says this past May is the safest ever since it began tracking crime. 

The department says the total numbers fell 7.6 percent compared to May of 2016. 

Murders and shootings dropped by 25 and 22 percent, respectively. Robberies and rapes saw smaller decreases.

Mayor Bill de Blasio credits neighborhood policing for making the city safer. 

"It's very clear what's happening, and I want to commend Commissioner O'Neill and his whole team. The neighborhood policing model is working more and more, and it's taking root more and more. It's making a huge difference," de Blasio said. "People want to be involved helping the police, and they want to be part of the solution, and they want to provide the police with the information they need to succeed, and neighborhood policing is allowing that to happen." 

Overall crime in the city is down more than 5-and-a-half percent from the start of the year through the end of May compared to the same time last year.

The NYPD's transit bureau reported 211 crimes in May, an increase of two from last year.