New York City this month experienced fewer major crimes than August 2017, continuing to make this year one of the safest on record.

“As we shift from summer to fall and our city’s children return to school, it’s important for all 8.6 million New Yorkers to renew their commitment to helping the NYPD keep safe every block, in every neighborhood,” said Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill. “We’ll continue to do that, together, by sharing the responsibility for public safety.”

“New York City is the safest big city in America because we have deepened the bond between community and police,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “I have no doubt that the NYPD will never stop working to drive down crime and better protect New Yorkers.”

Key highlights from this month’s crime statistics:

Year-to-date, overall index crimes are down -1.2%
Robberies, assaults, and burglaries continue to be down year-to-date
There were 76 shooting incidents this month compared with 83 in August 2017, resulting in a -8.4% decrease and a -3.6% decrease in shootings year-to-date

There were 8,751 index crimes reported for August 2018 compared with 8,785 for August 2017. This is a decrease of 34 crimes, or -.4%. There were 23 murders reported in August 2018, compared with 17 in August 2017. This is an increase of 6 crimes, or +35.3%. There were 153 rapes reported in August 2018, compared with 123 in August 2017. This is an increase of 30 crimes, or +24.4%. There were 1,123 robberies reported in August 2018, compared with 1,280 in August 2017. This is a reduction of 157 crimes or -12.3%. There were 1,820 felonious assaults reported in August 2018, compared with 1,816 in August 2017. This is an increase of 4 crimes, or +.2%. There were 1,050 burglaries reported in August 2018, compared with 1,050 in August 2017. This represents a change of 0%. There were 3,939 grand larcenies reported in August 2018, compared with 3,880 in August 2017. This is an increase of 59 crimes, or +1.5%. There were 643 grand larceny autos (GLA) reported in August 2018, compared with 619 in August 2017. This is an increase of 24 crimes, or +3.9%.

There were 1,572 crimes reported in the Transit Bureau year-to-date, compared with 1,577 in 2017. This is a decrease of 5 crimes, or -.3%. For the month of August in transit, there were 226 crimes compared to 189 in August 2017. This is an increase of 37 crimes or +19.6%. There were 3,103 crimes reported in the Housing Bureau year-to-date, compared with 3,271 in 2017. This is a decrease of 168 crimes, or -5.1%. For the month of August in housing there were 378 crimes compared with 482 crimes reported in August 2017. This is a decrease of 104 crimes or -21.6%.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)