NYPD Crime Stats: Overall Crime Hit All-Time Low In 2019, But Anti-Semitic Attacks Finished Up 26%
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The NYPD says it is fighting against an uptick in murders, robberies and hate crimes, while overall crime remains low across the five boroughs.
On Monday, the Department unveiled its final statistics for 2019, including some new initiatives for 2020, CBS2's Andrea Grymes reported.
It's been a big problem in recent weeks. Anti-Semitic hate crimes across New York City jumped 26 percent in 2019 -- from 186 reported in 2018 to 234 last year.
"Obviously, we all want this crisis to end," Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
MORE: The List: Rash Of Violence Targeting NYC Jewish Community
De Blasio, NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea, and top police brass discussed the rise in hate crimes at a news conference detailing final crime statistics for 2019.
Web Extra: De Blasio, Police Officials Discuss Crime Statistics:
They said overall crime hit a record low -- with about 95,000 total incidents. Despite that, they admitted there are causes for concern.
For instance:
-- Murder was up 7.8% from 2018 -- from 295 homicides to 318.
-- Citywide shootings went up 2.9% -- from 754 to 766.
-- Robberies spiked 3.1% -- from 12,965 to 13,363.
"Teenage robbery victim's have increased almost 43% since June," said NYPD Chief of Crime Control Strategies Michael Lipetri said.
Police said they're seeing a big jump in youth-on-youth robberies, especially for electronics.
They hope a new NYPD youth strategy will help combat this and keep kids out of trouble. That includes a monthly youth forum between police and city agencies to find ways to enforce and prevent a rise in crime.
"Our goal is to help young people steer clear of a first act of criminal behavior or if they've already stumbled, to guide them back to the right path," Commissioner Shea said.
As for hate crimes, the commissioner announced for the first time the police will be including those numbers in each precinct's weekly CompStat report. The report details statistics in the seven major crime categories, along with historical data, all of which is available online for the public.
The NYPD uses the statistics to help drive down crime spikes.
Mayor de Blasio said the Department is planning to keep the increase in patrols in Jewish neighborhoods for as long as necessary.