CRIME CONTINUES TO FALL: MURDER DOWN 60.2 PERCENT SINCE 1993
New York City Continues to Lead the Nation in Crime Reduction
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and Police Commissioner Howard Safir today unveiled preliminary statistics for 1997 that show that a 44 percent reduction in overall crime in New York City since 1993. Since 1996, overall crime has been reduced by nine percent, led by a 22 percent drop in homicides.
"As the City of Greater New York celebrates its 100th birthday, we have much to look forward to in the years to come," Mayor Giuliani said. "New York City is experiencing an era of almost unprecedented growth and change. And at the core of this new growth is the dramatic reduction in crime. New York City is leading America in crime reduction. Leaders in law enforcement from around the world come to the New York City Police Department to see how we have accomplished what was once thought of as impossible. Four years ago, national magazines and news shows were reporting on the 'Bushwick Terror' and the 'Rotting Apple.' Today, New York City is now known as the 'Comeback City.' Neighborhoods that were once considered the City's most dangerous are now the communities most responsible for the tremendous improvement all New Yorkers have experienced.
"Yesterday, I outlined some of my initiatives for the next four years," the Mayor continued. "The Police Commissioner and I vow to fight even harder and increase our efforts to fight crime. We are going to add over 1,600 new police officers and also add five more anti-drug initiatives citywide. We will not rest until we permanently drive drugs and organized crime from our City. On behalf of all New Yorkers, I want to thank the men and women of the Police Department and the entire law enforcement community for their efforts."
"In 1997, New York City experienced continued decreases in crime in each of the City's five boroughs," Police Commissioner Safir said. "In the coming year, the Department will continue its commitment to building on our current successes through the creation of our new anti-drug initiatives in the South Bronx and Northern Queens, as well as our current anti-drug initiatives in Upper Manhattan and Northern Brooklyn. As Police Commissioner, I want to commend the men and women of this Department for their excellent work over the last year, and for their help in making our successes permanent in all our City's neighborhhods."
The preliminary figures, compiled through the Department's CompStat reporting system, show that in 1997, New York City experienced:
- 23, 914 fewer crimes than in 1996 -- a nine percent drop
- 190,418 fewer since 1993.
The Citywide decreases for 1997 are as follows:
| Category | 1993v.1997 | 1996v.1997 |
|---|---|---|
| Murders | -60.2% (1160 fewer) | -22% (217 fewer) |
| Auto Crime | -54% (60,281 fewer) | -13.7% (8,128 fewer) |
| Burglary | -45.7% (46,079 fewer) | -11.1% (7,129 fewer) |
| Robbery | -48.4% (41,543 fewer) | -10.1% (4,975 fewer) |
| Grand Larceny | -35.1% (30,063 fewer) | -5.1% (3,016 fewer) |
| Rape | -13.5% (436 fewer) | -3.4% (99 fewer) |
| Felonious Assault | -26.4% (0,856 fewer) | -1.1% (50 fewer) |
In addition, the City also experienced a 23 percent drop in shooting incidents over 1996 (586 fewer), with a 62.5 percent drop since 1993 (3,292 fewer). Shooting victims fell 23 percent over 1996 (676 fewer), with 62.5 percent drop since 1993 (5,862 fewer). Recent FBI statistics showed New York City is one of the safest large cities in America and ranks 150th in overall per-capita crime out of 189 cities with populations over 100,000.
Police figures also show a 20 percent drop in police-related shootings; a 20 percent drop in the number of offenders shot and a 21 percent drop in the number rounds fired when comparing 1997 to 1996.
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