In a new effort to combat crime on the New York City subway, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the deployment of hundreds of state troopers and National Guard members to the subway system to bolster security.
Hochul announced her plan to send 1,000 reinforcements to patrol the platforms about a week after a train conductor was slashed in the neck by a criminal on a southbound A train to Brooklyn.
The governor’s move reflects the authorities’ awareness that subway safety is crucial to the overall vitality of New York City.Is crime really a problem on the NY subway?
Although surveys from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates the subway, show that many passengers feel unsafe, the data has not always confirmed public perception.
Crime rates increased during the coronavirus pandemic starting in 2020, but the subway became safer last year.
By mid-2022, there was about one violent crime for every 1 million subway trips, according to an analysis by the New York Times. Since then, the overall crime rate has fallen, and the number of passengers has increased, making it even less likely to be a victim of violent crime on the subway. Last year, overall crime in the transit system fell nearly 3% compared to 2022, as the number of daily passengers rose by 14%.
But the downward trend stalled early this year, with the number of serious crimes in the transit system rising in January before falling again in February. As of March 3, there had been three homicides in the system. Overall, serious crimes, including assaults, robberies, and grand larcenies, have increased by 13% so far this year, the data shows.
By February 25, authorities had recorded six assaults against subway workers, up from five last year, according to police data.What is being done?
In the past two years, state and city leaders have introduced several anti-crime initiatives in the subway, including increasing overtime pay for police officers and starting the removal of homeless individuals with severe mental illnesses from the system. Authorities have also installed hundreds of additional surveillance cameras, including in subway cars.Why is subway crime a priority?
The recovery of the M.T.A. after the pandemic depends on the return of more passengers, and public transit leaders are feeling pressured to make the system more inviting.
New York Democrats are also gearing up for the November elections and trying to respond to public perception regarding rising crime.
In a survey by the M.T.A. conducted in January, nearly 20% of people using the system said they would use the subway more often if there were fewer people behaving ‘strangely’ in the stations and cars; over 10% said they would use the subway more if they saw more police and security guards in the system.Source: The New York Times