‘Crime-fighting’ New York mayor fails to land a blow as violent offences rise during his tenure

ERIC ADAMS, New York’s “crime-fighting” mayor, has come under pressure after figures showed violence levels rose in the city during his first year in office.

Data from the New York Police Department (NYPD) showed crime last year had increased in virtually every category, despite assertions by the Democratic mayor that the city had turned a corner. A former police captain, Mr Adams ran on a centrist platform of addressing violence on New York’s streets, and has repeatedly claimed that it was a perception problem rather than reality.

However, the data showed that rapes, robberies, and assaults were all up last year, reaching highs not seen in decades.

Rape rose by seven per cent, with 120 more assaults reported in 2022 year than the year before.

All other categories, including grand larceny and motor vehicle theft, showed similar rises except for murder. Overall, there was an increase of 22 per cent.

Mr Adams, 62, unveiled his “Blueprint to End Gun Violence” early last year, along with a “Subway Safety Plan”, both of which have so far proved largely ineffective, according to the figures. In

‘The trends continue on, with 10 per cent of all shooting victims in New York under the age of 18’

the final weeks of his first year, Mr Adams, whose motto is “Get Stuff Done”, also announced a plan to involuntarily section mentally ill homeless people in an effort to clear the streets. In a press conference announcing the latest NYPD figures, Michael Lipetri, chief of crime control strategies, pointed to a growing problem among the teenage population.

Some 20 per cent of robbery arrests in the fourth quarter of 2022 involved “individuals under the age of 18”.

“Under-18s robbing New Yorkers. The statistics are out there,” Mr Lipetri said. “The trends continue on, [with] 10 per cent of all shooting victims in New York City under the age of 18.”

“There is a violence that’s coming from our young people,” Mr Adams said.

“When you see some of these actions, when you see the total disregard for human life, it is challenging to just know the impact of what the victims are going through and how these young people are destroying their lives.”