Crime in the New York City subway increased 30 percent in 2022, surpassing the 22 percent increase in serious crime in the city over the same period, according to data released Friday by the police department.
The resurgence of these crimes occurs despite the deployment of thousands of additional police patrols in the public transport system, reports the US agency Bloomberg, noting that this mobilization involves high costs that affect the city budget.
The mayor of the American metropolis, Democrat Eric Adams, explained that the current increase in patrols in the subway is necessary to reduce crime and reassure passengers.
The New York City Police Department is spending an additional $20 million a month on overtime costs, the agency said, noting that those costs totaled $272 million as of last November.
“That’s more than 70 percent of the annual overtime budget for the fiscal year ending June 30,” New York City Comptroller Brad Lander’s office said as quoted by Bloomberg.
The increase in spending comes as the mayor tries to dodge criticism that the city isn’t doing enough to tackle crime in the public transit system.
Within the City Council there are voices against the mobilization of these funds which should, in their opinion, be spent to improve other services such as schools and libraries, victims of budget cuts.
With MAP
