The new year is not off to a great start when it comes to violent crime in New York City.
Robberies in the Big Apple increased by 5% (913 to 960) in the first three weeks of 2024 compared to the same period last year, according to NYPD data.
Statistics show that through Jan. 21, robberies rose 12% in Queens (from 155 to 174) and 9% in the Bronx (from 277 to 301) and Brooklyn (from 237 to 258).
Robberies on Staten Island and Manhattan decreased by 58% and 1%, respectively.
The silver lining is that major crimes are down 7% citywide, and homicides have plummeted by 41% (from 27 to 16).
A series of newspaper stand robberies.
Police are searching for four brazen thugs who are part of a gang that has robbed sidewalk store clerks nine times since January 1, the NYPD said.
The thugs ambush the typically elderly salespeople at night, drag them through the side door of a newsstand and slam them to the ground.
They then threatened to shoot or cut him before stealing what was in his pockets and cash register, police said.
“If the NYPD cracks down on grand theft, [auto theft] By 2024, crime will be down, that's a given,” said Joseph Giacalone, a former NYPD sergeant and adjunct professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. The continued increase in robberies is “concerning. “The cause of this,” he said.
