Amid mounting concerns over violent crimes plaguing the city's subway system, Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday said that the root problem lies in a "surge in recidivism."

Appearing on "Mornings On 1" alongside NYPD Chief of Transit Michael Kemper, Adams utilized an infographic to present data revealing the extent of repeat offenses committed by individuals arrested for crimes in the transit system.

According to the data, 38 individuals arrested for assault in the transit system last year were linked to 1,126 additional crimes across the city.

"But it doesn't stop there: 542 people who are arrested for shoplifting committed 7,600 crimes in our city. So, we don't have a surge in crime. We have a surge in recidivism," Adams said.

He said a small number of people are responsible for recent violent attacks in the subway system, including a stabbing on the 4 train in the Bronx, a subway conductor being slashed on the neck aboard a C train in Brooklyn and multiple attacks at Penn Station.

Judges must act to keep them out of the city's transit network, Adams said.

"If we don't go after the recidivist problem, we're going to continue to see [a] small number of bad people doing bad things to good people in this city," he said.

In light of the recent incidents, Adams has deployed 1,000 more police officers per day in the transit system since the beginning of February. There also is a plan in place to expand bag checks in transit and to expand the use of metal detectors.

Defending the increase in security measures, Adams said they are "part of the overall public safety plan that the transit police are doing."

Meanwhile, the NYPD released new statistics on Tuesday indicating a 15% decrease in overall crime in the transit system for the month of February. Kemper attributed this decline to the efforts of law enforcement officers, citing a significant increase in arrests for various offenses, such as felonies, misdemeanors, weapons possessions and fare evasion.

Kemper also emphasized the focus on addressing "disorderly behavior," saying, "Our summonses for quality life offenses are also up dramatically."

Despite the recent spate of violence, Adams conveyed that many New Yorkers still feel safe using the transit network on a daily basis.

"Far too many New Yorkers were telling me over and over again, 'Eric, I feel comfortable on the subway system.' When I'm down there speaking with them, they indicate that, yes, they read about some of the tragic incidents, but they commute daily without any negative encounters at all," he said. "That's why we want an omnipresence of our police. Nothing is a greater level of comfort than seeing that man or woman in a police uniform patrolling that subway station."