Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly today announced that crime figures released today by the Federal Bureau of Investigation show that New York City remains the safest big city in America.  According to the FBI’s 2002 “Crime in the United States” report, while crime increased slightly less than one tenth of one percent nationwide, New York City’s Crime rate decreased 5% to the lowest level since the 1960’s.

“The safest big city in America keeps getting safer,” Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said.  “While the conventional wisdom said New York's crime rate would increase in a recession and fiscal crisis, the Police Department proved it wrong and showed once again why they are the ‘Finest’ in the world. On behalf of all New Yorkers, I would like to thank them for working so hard to keep us so safe.”

“The men and women of the New York City Police Department have done a remarkable on of reducing the City’s crime rate to its lowest level in nearly four decades.  In 2002, homicides fell to their lowest level since 1963, when Mayor Robert F. Wagner was in City Hall and President John F. Kennedy was in the White House,” said Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly.  “The homicide rate this year is again on track to end the year at either the lowest or second lowest rate in 40 years.  All of this is being done at a time when the department has 4,000 fewer officers than just three years ago, and when we must now focus a tremendous amount of resources on counter terrorism.”

New York City is the safest of the nation’s large cities ranking tenth of the ten largest cities, based on total index crime per 100,000 population.  Nationwide, murder increased 1% while the New York City murder rate dropped 9.6% in 2002, to the lowest level since 1963. Of the 230 reporting cities with a population of at least 100,000, New York City ranked 208, between Garden Grove and Burbank California, with one of the lowest crime rates in the nation. New York City’s overall crime rate of 3,100 per 100,000 population is 25% lower than the national rate of 4,119.