(Bloomberg) -- Crime on New York City’s subway system is down 11% this year from 2019 after Mayor Eric Adams increased the number of uniformed police officers in the nation’s largest transit system.
There were 1,120 reported crimes this year through July 14, down from 1,256 during the same period in 2019, the year before the coronavirus pandemic began, according to the New York Police Department. Crime is also down from last year, when there were 1,210 reported incidents during that timeframe.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates the city’s subways, buses and commuter rail lines, is looking to boost confidence in the system to increase ridership. Having fewer people behaving erratically and improving safety are top concerns for subway riders, according to the MTA’s most recent customer satisfaction survey conducted in May.
“We want New Yorkers to be confident that this system is going to continue to be safe, and we’re going to continue to deploy the manpower that’s needed,” Adams said Wednesday at a press briefing announcing the crime statistics.
Still, big challenges remain for the transit system. Average weekday subway ridership is about 70% of pre-pandemic levels, according to MTA data. The transit provider needs more customers to help boost farebox revenue collections because its fiscal plan relies on total ridership increasing to 80% of pre-Covid usage by 2026.
In February, Adams increased police presence in the subway system after a jump in crime the previous month. The MTA anticipates most or all of its train cars will have cameras by year-end along with the cameras on platforms and stations.
“It’s a deterrent,” Michael Kemper, NYPD’s chief of transit, said about the cameras. “And it’s an amazing investigative tool or resource to offer our detectives and cops.”
While overall crime is down on the subways, the system continues to struggle with violent incidents. There were six murders this year, already surpassing the five homicides in 2023.
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