Homicides in NYC in November despite overall decline in crime

The Big Apple saw a spike in homicides last month compared to November 2021, though shootings have declined and gun busts have risen, according to new preliminary NYPD statistics obtained by The Post.

Police reported 30 murders in the city in November, up from 25 in the same month in 2021.

A review of the seven main crime categories also shows increases in three other areas: felony assaults increased by 1,957 to 2,016, or 3%; Robberies rose from 1,439 to 1,491, a 3.6% increase, and car thefts rose from 1,034 to 1,131, or 9.4%.

The statistics show declines in the three other main categories: rapes fell from 128 in November 2021 to 110 in the last month, a fall of more than 14%; Burglaries fell from 1,310 to 1,231, down 6%, and grand theft fell 5.5% from 4,430 to 4,187.

Overall, the November figures show an overall decrease of 1.2% in the seven major crimes.

“The NYPD is throwing everything it has at the crime problem in New York City,” a law enforcement source told The Post on Sunday.

“The increase in gun arrests and the reduction in shootings are no coincidence. The question remains: what happens to the shooters? There has to be accountability – the rest of the criminal justice system has to do its job.”

City officials have long sought changes to the controversial 2019 state criminal justice reforms that prohibit judges from setting bail in misdemeanor and nonviolent crime cases.

“We are waging a multi-front war that includes shooters, thieves and backsliders. It’s the last group that poses the greatest threat,” another source said.

In a statement Sunday, Mayor Eric Adams said the city is “laser focused” on fighting crime.

“Reducing crime in the city has never happened overnight, but thanks to the efforts of the NYPD, serious crimes fell in November and shootings continue to fall by double digits,” Adams said.

“Until every New Yorker is safe, there will still be work to do, but we’re taking some of the biggest actions in years to keep New Yorkers safe,” the mayor said. “We will never stop fighting to protect the residents of this city.”

NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said in a further statement: “Towards the end of this year, our department is seeing significant, tangible progress toward our public safety goals.

“And that’s because of the dedicated work of our exceptional officers and civilian members.

“The men and women of the NYPD have continued to reduce shootings, take illegal guns off our streets, increase arrests to bring justice to crime victims, and improve police-community relations in every New York neighborhood,” Sewell said.

Among the most promising stats is the nearly 33% drop in shootings over the past month in the city, with 80 incidents compared to 119 in November 2021.

And despite last month’s spike, homicides across the five counties are down more than 11% in 2022 compared to the same period last year, the figures show. That means 393 vs. 442 kills.

Police officials are also noting that citywide gun arrests are up so far this year, with a nearly 4% increase from 4,319 to 4,155 in the first 11 months of 2021.

The number of gun busts is at a 27-year high, according to the NYPD.

But crime remains an ongoing problem for many New Yorkers, especially on the city’s mass transit system.

Last month, the NYPD released statistics showing crimes in the subway system have skyrocketed, including rampant homicides, rapes and robberies.

Between January and October, police reported 1,917 transit crimes, up from 1,367 in the same period last year.

In October alone, the numbers show a total of 210 transit crimes, up from the 198 reported in September, the NYPD said.

The 10-month subway crime totals easily outpaced a 38% increase in ridership over the same period as more straphangers return to the system after a prolonged slowdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.