(Belgian) Security is strengthened in the New York subway with more police deployed to cope with the rise in violent crime. This was announced Saturday by the mayor of the metropolis, Eric Adams, and the governor of the state of New York, Kathy Hochul, according to the American media. The action plan also includes better monitoring of people with severe psychological disorders and the use of more surveillance cameras in subways.
Although New York is a relatively safe city, the “Big Apple” has long been facing an increase in crime on public transportation. According to the American media CNN, the crime figures increased by 40% over the previous year. Most of the crimes are not violent, they are mainly thefts, but this does not exclude that they feed the concern of the population. The murder of a 48-year-old man on a trip between Brooklyn and Manhattan, for example, recently made headlines. Some criticize, however, the announced action plan could lead to discrimination against certain sections of the population, who are already disadvantaged. In places where many people are racialized, distrust of the police is already significant. A Queens city councilor, Robert F. Holden, is therefore calling for a fundamental reform of the penal system. “Without a change in the law, other officers will simply arrest the same people,” he complains in an interview granted to the New York Times. (Belgian)
