BITE OUTTA CRIME
Robberies & shootings down in Feb.
Major crime in New York City dipped 5.6% last month — along with a slight downturn in retail theft, police officials said Friday.
The NYPD reported the drop compared with February 2022 — driven by a double-digit percentage decrease in robbery, burglary and grand larceny.
And Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said the public is already feeling safer because they see more friendly cops who greet them with “Good morning.”
“We started an initiative where officers are more engaging with the public, to just say, ‘Good morning,’ if you see someone to just let them know that we’re there,” Sewell told a small group of invited reporters Friday afternoon.
Sewell credits the friendly cop initiative — at least partly — with helping “the overall feeling in the city . . . that it’s getting better.”
Last month saw 1,155 robberies and 1,040 burglaries, down from 1,290 and 1,224 over the same time last year, respectively, according to NYPD data.
Shootings were also down nearly 15%, to 64 from 75.
There were also nearly 300 fewer grand larcenies, with 3,539 reported last month compared with 3,815 a year ago.
February also recorded 10 fewer murders.
The total tally of 8,785 grand larcenies, though, still remains up more than 15% from February 2020 — the last full month before the pandemic hit.
Police also reported nearly 500 fewer sticky-fingered shoppers in the city last month but police officials Friday were vague on what drove the welcomed dip amid an unprecedented surge.
“This is the first time that I can remember that we’ve seen a decrease in shoplifting in February,” said NYPD Chief Mike Lipetri.
The NYPD recorded 4,276 shoplifting complaints last month compared with 4,757 the year prior, according to Lipetri, who joined Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Phil Banks during his new weekly public forum.
The just-over-10% dip could only be credited to a “collaborative effort” with businesses, pols and district attorneys.
The NYPD’s crime strategies chief dodged the question of whether cops made more shoplifting arrests.
Sewell credited increased patrols in business districts. It was unclear if those deployments were new or part of last year’s retail crime-fighting strategy.
Sewell, though, believes the NYPD is on the right track.
“I think there’s a marked difference from where we were this time last,” the top cop said. “It definitely feels different.”