NYC crime hits historic lows, with fewest murders, shootings in first 5 months of year

Leonard Greene, New York Daily News on Jun 3, 2026

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NEW YORK — Crime across the Big Apple has hit historic lows, with record reductions in murders, shooting incidents and shooting victims, according to the NYPD.

Major crime across the city declined 10.6% across the five boroughs — and more than 6% in the city’s subways — in May, according to the latest Police Department figures.

Year to date, murders were down nearly 21%, 102 versus 129 at this time last year, the lowest level ever recorded for the first five months of any year, beating the previous record of 113, set in 2014 and 2017, officials said.

Even New York City’s public housing projects are off to their safest year in history, with the fewest murders, shooting incidents, shooting victims and robberies, according to the positive stats.

“Across our city, the NYPD is delivering on its mission to keep New Yorkers safe,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a statement.

“With record lows in murders, shooting incidents and shooting victims, as well as the safest start to the year in public housing, and continued reductions in subway crime, New Yorkers across every corner of our city are benefiting from a Police Department that is focused and strategic,” she said.

The downward trend’s timing couldn’t be better, Tisch said, as New York City enters the summer months, and the nation’s largest police force prepares for an unprecedented number of large-scale events, including the World Cup and the nation’s sesquicentennial celebration.

The key to some of the success has been the NYPD’s data-driven deployment, officials said.

Last month, the department launched its Summer Violence Reduction Plan. The data-driven effort deploys up to 3,800 officers to nightly foot posts across 72 zones in 40 precincts, public housing and the subway system.

To address youth violence, the NYPD implemented Youth Violence Safety Zones, which focus on the areas where young people are most at risk — commuter corridors, bus stops and routes to and from school.

Since the program’s inception in September 2025, overall youth-related crime in the zones during deployment hours is down nearly 53%, or 185 incidents so far this year compared to 391 at the same point last year.

“These accomplishments are the result of a precision policing approach that follows the data, goes after guns, takes down gangs, and puts our officers where and when they are needed most,” Tisch said.

The most impressive turnaround appears to have been in the Bronx. Through the end of May, the borough led the city in crime reductions with 11%, the largest year-to-date decrease in major crime of any borough.

The Bronx also saw the greatest reduction citywide in auto thefts, down 27% for the year, and the borough experienced a 15.4% drop in robbery, a 13.7% drop in burglary, and a 13.1% drop in grand larceny for the month.

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