NEW YORK – Overall crime on the New York City subway has dropped to a low not seen in 25 years, according to the MTA. However, as more people return to public transport, Police noted that the number of robberies is increasing.
New data from the New York City Police showed that subway robberies increased 50% in September. The assaults also increased, but the number of assaults remained the same. Large-scale robberies on the subway went from 64 in August to 96 in September, according to statistics from the New York City Police Department.
Millions of people ride the subways, buses and rails every day and where there are people, there is an opportunity, said Lisa Daglian of the MTA Citizen Advisory Committee.
“There are more passengers on board. When you have more passengers, you have more opportunities to commit more crimes. There will always be people who take advantage of the opportunity to commit a crime, ”Daglian said.
Andrew Albert, a member of the MTA board, agreed and said he hopes the number will return to normal.
“I think it’s just a flash in the numbers and it’s going to go down because more and more people are coming back, and when that happens, crime goes down,” he said.
But many subway riders say they still don’t feel safe even though overall crime has been low for more than two decades. Reports of an increase in assaults on the subway during the spring and summer alarmed people and prompted the New York City Police Department to add more officers to the subway.
Among the most recent case, investigators are looking for the suspect of hitting a 23-year-old subway passenger with a glass bottle at the 28th Street station on Monday after the two exchanged words. Another man, 26, was stabbed in the stomach on Saturday near the entrance to the A, C, E lines in West 3 Street and Sixth Avenuesaid the police. The search for the alleged attacker is also ongoing.
Earlier this year, the MTA finished installing security cameras at all 472 subway stations to deter crime and help catch those who commit them. Now officials are considering redesigning the metro’s turnstiles to make it harder for people to evade paying the fare.
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