A jump in robberies and assaults contributed to a 26% increase in the city's crime rate in August compared to the same month in 2021, according to new statistics released by the NYPD Tuesday.
In all, police say there were 11,357 crimes last month, compared to 9,014 crimes in August of last year.
Robberies (38%), felony assaults (9%), burglaries (31.1%), grand larcenies (34.7%) and grand larcenies of an automobile (20.5%) increased in August when compared to the same time last year, the NYPD data shows. The number of murders citywide decreased by 54.2%, and reported rape incidents remained the same, according to the data.
Shootings decreased in August by 30.3% compared to August of last year, the NYPD said. The department seized 405 guns in August, bringing the year-to-date total to more than 4,880.
"Our gun seizures and gun arrests in August — and the corresponding downturn in shooting incidents — indicate a positive corner turn in our fight to stop criminals willing to carry illegal guns and brazenly use them," NYPD commissioner Keechant L. Sewell said in a statement.
"For the NYPD, victims of crime remain our central focus,” the commissioner added. “We know there is much more work to be done to address crime in our city. We must push forward as we continue to advocate for further refinements to the state's well-meaning criminal justice reforms that too many recidivists and violent criminals exploit."
In August, the NYPD also reported 55 hate crimes — a 41% increase from the same time period a year ago. Twenty-four of those were against Jewish individuals, 17 more than any other individual demographic.