In a disturbing trend, New York City's subway system has witnessed a 60 percent surge in homicides in 2023, nearing a 25-year record.
As of September 8, the death toll stands at eight, a significant increase from the five murders recorded during the same period last year, according to The Post Millennial. This unsettling figure is alarmingly close to the 25-year peak of 10 murders, a record set in 2022, as per data from the New York Police Department (NYPD).
From 1997 to 2020, the city's subway system had not experienced more than five murders in any given year. This recent surge in violence has sparked fear among the city's residents. Jakeba Dockery, a widow whose husband was fatally shot in January while attempting to intervene in a subway altercation, expressed her concern to the New York Post. "It's not a safe environment to be waiting for the train," she said, adding, "It just feels evil."
Despite the alarming increase in murders, overall crime on the subway has seen a nearly 6 percent decrease compared to the same period last year, the NYPD reports. Robberies and felony assaults have also seen a decline.
In response to the escalating subway violence, the city has taken action. Earlier this year, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the deployment of 750 National Guard troops to patrol the city's busiest transit stations. An additional 1,000 NYPD officers were assigned to enhance security within the subway system.
An NYPD spokesperson attributed the overall reduction in crime to proactive policing, stating, "This overall crime reduction is due in large part to thorough investigations by detectives into every major crime within the subway, and the proactive work of officers deployed in the transit system." The spokesperson further noted that officers had confiscated 43 guns (up from 28 last year) and 1,536 knives (up from 1,004 last year) from the subway system this year, marking the highest weapons seizure rates in the past decade.
However, despite these improvements in certain crime metrics, the rise in murders underscores the persistent safety concerns plaguing New Yorkers. Even with increased police presence and weapons seizures, violent crime continues to exceed pre-pandemic levels, leaving residents wary of using the city's public transit system.
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