Tuesday, July 2, 2013

New York's declining homicide rate, 'miraculous'

The number of homicides on record in New York City has dropped significantly during the first half of the year — to 154 from 202 in the same period last year — surprising even police officials who have long been accustomed to trumpeting declining crime rates in the city, reported the New York Times.

In the first 178 days of 2013, the city averaged less than a murder a day, the first time the police can recall that happening for any sustained period. The latest numbers were recorded through Thursday.

The recent decrease in violence is all the more striking because last year the department recorded the fewest homicides since it began a reliable method of compiling crime statistics half a century ago. The police recorded 419 murders in 2012.

“By far, it was the lowest, and guess what?” Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said Friday morning before going on to announce that the number of murders this year was running about 25 percent below even that record year.

“In my business, in our business, this is miraculous. These are lives that are being saved.”

To read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/29/nyregion/city-homicides-drop-sharply-again-police-cite-new-antigang-strategy.html?ref=nyregion&_r=0

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