Major crimes are down across the Big Apple — except for a troubling years-long spike in rapes in the Big Apple, underreported assaults that continue to frustrate cops, new NYPD stats show.
Data released Tuesday shows a nearly 14% drop in murders in the second quarter compared to the same period last year, along with a more than 7.8% drop in burglaries, a 7.1% dip in robberies and a 2.3% drop in felony assaults — part of an overall 3.46% dip crime in seven major crimes.
Transit crimes also dipped by 6.4% June-to-June, and 1.1% over the second quarter from last year.
“So far this year, we’ve had 100 fewer shootings compared to the same period last year,” Mayor Eric Adams told reporters. “And when you compare this six-month period to the same period in 2021, right before we came into office, shootings are down astronomically — 54%.”
But hidden in the numbers are is rise in rapes, which have continued to buck the trend for years.
Police stats show that 517 rapes were reported during the second quarter this year, up from 448 over the same period in 2024 — and part of a troubling years-long trend.
Rapes are up more than 20% this year compared to last year as of last week, and have spiked 33.7% over the same period two years ago and 57.6% over the past 15 years, stats released last week show.
Tisch acknowledged the rise in rapes in the stats on Tuesday, and said the crime has bucked the recent downward turn in offenses due to a glitch in state law.
“That increase is in large part due to a change in state law that took effect in September of 2024, which expanded the legal definition of rape to better reflect the full range of these crimes,” she said.
“Because of that change, we expect to have a clearer year-over-year comparison this fall.”
Rapes continue to be grossly underreported, according to police — and the department urges victims to reach out to the NYPD 24-hour Special Victims Division at 212-267-RAPE.
Adams said the summer months pose a particular concern for crime fighting.
“Everyone knows when you’re into summer, you’re dealing with a whole summer safety plan,” the mayor said. “You’re dealing with a whole shift in policing. We’re all concerned about the month of June.”
Nonetheless, he said June saw the number of citywide shootings drop nearly 30%, down to 75 this year compared to 107 over the same month last year — and down 22.4% over the second quarter year-to-year, to 198 this year compared to 255 last year.
“In the first six months of the year, New York City saw the lowest number of shooting victims and shooting incidents in recorded history,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a statement.
“Records like this don’t happen by chance — they happen because of strategy, precision and the relentless work of your NYPD officers,” Tisch added.
NYPD data also shows that murder has continued to dip in the Big Apple over the past decades, with 381 reported last year compared to 649 in 2001 and 2,262 in 1990.
The stats also show that hate crimes were down in June over last year, including a 26% decrease in antisemitic assaults, to 31 last month compared to 42 in June 2024.
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