ONE POLICE PLAZA — New York City just had its safest September in the history of the NYPD's Compstat-era, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday.
Citywide crime plummeted by 12.1 percent, or 1,163 crimes, last month when compared to September of 2015, continuing a pattern since the start of 2016, de Blasio and newly sworn-in NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill said during a press conference at police headquarters.
"We continue to focus on crime where it still exists," said O’Neill, who took the helm in September.
He said a focus on "precision policing" is helping the crime numbers continue to fall.
In September, crime numbers dipped in nearly every crime category:
► Robberies were down by 220, or 14.3 percent, when compared to the same time last year.
► Burglaries dropped by 338, or 24.8 percent.
► Grand larceny was down by 176, or 22.7 percent, according to the data.
► There were also two fewer murders in September, a 5.8 percent dip.
► Rape was down by 27, or 2 percent
► Felony assaults were down by 89, or 4.9 percent
► Grand larceny was down 311 crimes, or 7.9 percent.
► Only shootings were up last month, by 10 to 108, a 10.2 percent increase compared to police statistics from September of last year.
Overall major crime was down 2,322 fewer crimes, or a 3 percent drop, compared to 2015. Additionally, there were 97 fewer shootings this year-to-date, a 10.9 percent drop, and 10 fewer murders year-to-date, a decline of 3.7 percent when compared with 2015, according to police.
De Blasio credited the city's neighborhood policing plan with contributing to the drop. Under the plan, each precinct is divided into up to five sectors and officers patrol the same area while spending a dedicated amount time getting to know the community.
There is also an officer who serves as a liaison for each sector.
Fifty-one percent of precincts will soon have the program in place, said NYPD Chief of Department Carlos Gomez.
"People like having a direct and personal relationship with a police officer who knows their immediate part of the neighborhood. That makes them feel more protected for sure," de Blasio said. "It makes them feel like if they have a concern or know something it can get to the right place."
Also, by January, the full complement of the additional 2,000 officers that de Blasio agreed to hire will be out on the street, the mayor said.
"You are going to see the combined effect of the deepening of neighborhood policing and the addition of so many officers. It's going to add a lot of capacity. I expect the success to be sustained given that these new resources are coming into play," said de Blasio.
Gun arrests are up almost 12 percent, with police recovering 17 illegal firearms this past weekend alone.
But there are still troubled areas.
Domestic violence, for example, is on the rise, increasing 3 percent so far this year, officials said. Of the 10 homicides in the city last week, five were domestic cases.
