New York City has crime problem far beyond latest subway shooting

HOUSTON, Texas – The news of the New York City subway shooting this past week made headlines across the US and around the world. Fortunately, no one was killed. However, the subway shooting is just one of a growing number of violent incidents in NYC which highlights the underlying problem in the Big Apple: crime is up.

The New York City Police Department recently released crime statistics for this March, and the numbers are troubling.

The overall crime index rose 36.5% year-on-year, with 9,873 crimes being committed this past March versus 7,232 crimes in March 2021.

Armed robbery was up 48.4%, grand larceny saw a 40.5% spike, and grand larceny auto rose a staggering 59.4%.

While the murder rate dropped 15.8% and rapes went down 4.3%, felony assault was up 17.5% and shootings incidents climbed 16.2%.​​​​​​​

The high-profile subway attacks started on January 15, when a 40-year-old woman was pushed to her death in front of an oncoming subway train in Manhattan’s Times Square. The alleged attacker was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. Police say the man had a history of violence and mental illness.

Less than two weeks later, a 62-year-old man was pushed onto the tracks in front of a train in Lower Manhattan. The man survived, but the suspect fled the scene.

And in February, a homeless man stabbed a subway passenger in an unprovoked attack.

Responding to the increased violence, Mayor Eric Adams and New York Governor Kathy Hochul unveiled a plan to make the subway system safer by boosting the police presence and enforcing rules to make sure only passengers are using the areas for transportation, not people who are loitering or harassing other riders.

Officers were also placed on the lookout for aggressive behavior, as well as people sleeping in the subway system.

However, the bulk of New York’s violent crime is happening beyond the subways and is infiltrating neighbourhoods, especially those with communities of color.

From the violent subway crimes to a shooting spree in March where eight different people were shot across the city in one night, New York is experiencing an uptick in violent crime that seemingly can’t be controlled with such a sprawling geographic area and a limited number of police officers.

Former NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn says confronting the overall crime problem is a multifaceted response that will take cooperation and coordination from all levels of government.