In recent years, New York City has seen an increase in theft-related crimes, specifically in the retail and residential sectors. Shoplifting complaints have steadily risen since 2018, with a notable 44% increase from 2021 to 2022. However, there has been a slight decrease in shoplifting cases in 2023, with thefts of over $1,000 showing an increase and thefts of $1,000 or less decreasing. Major commercial locations have experienced a significant surge in thefts of items valued at less than $1,000 since 2019. Residential thefts have also witnessed an uptick.

Here is an in depth breakdown of these crime statistics:

NYC Retail Related Theft Crimes

• According to the mayor’s office, with the exception of 2020, the total number of citywide shoplifting complaints has increased year over year since 2018, with the largest increase, 44%, taking place from 2021 to 2022. So far this year, NYPD statistics show shoplifting overall trending down by about 5%. While thefts of more than $1,000 are up 4.5%, those of $1,000 or are down 6.1%.
• By the end of 2022, the theft of items valued at less than $1,000 had increased 53 percent since 2019 at major commercial locations.
• Between 2019 and 2022, Petit larceny on neighborhood streets and sidewalks climbed 27 percent. Larcenies from private homes and residences jumped 16 percent.
• In 2020,drug stores experienced twice as many thefts in 2022 compared with 2019, rising from 6,031 to 12,343 incidents. Thefts from chain stores increased 91 percent over the same period, surging from 11,673 to 22,250.
• Last year, complaints of retail theft were about 16 percent higher than in 2019, according to the New York Police Department. But arrest rates have dropped, with about 28 percent of the complaints resulting in arrests last year, compared with 48.5 percent in 2019.
• Though New York remains one of the safest large cities in America, a poll released this month by Quinnipiac University found that 74 percent of its voters believe crime is a “very serious” problem.

NYC Residential Burglary Related Theft Crimes

• Surges in robbery, burglary and other crimes drove a 22 percent increase in overall major crime in New York City last year compared with the year prior
• Robberies and burglaries greatly contributed to the 22 percent overall increase in the most serious crimes.
• There were about 10,000 robbery arrests last year
• The police saw a 37 percent increase in robberies in the first three quarters of the year, with some improvement in the last three months. About 17 percent of those arrested in robberies were under 18.
• Almost 76% of crimes in April 2023 are robbery, burglary, and larceny.
• New York City’s crime rate is currently about 13.3 major crimes per 1,000 residents per year.

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Citations:

– Whipple, S. (2021, July 13). Press release – 07-13-2021. New York DMV. https://dmv.ny.gov/press-release/press-release-07-13-2021 

– NYC mayor Adams Rolls Out Plan to crack down on shoplifting. ABC7 New York. (2023, May 17). https://abc7ny.com/shoplifting-retail-theft-crackdown-nypd/13259930/ 

– Marcius, C.R. and Shanahan, E. (2023) Major crimes rose 22 percent in New York City, even as Shootings Fell, The New York Times. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/05/nyregion/new-york-crime-stats.html (Accessed: 29 June 2023).

– Hong, N. (2022) Retail theft rises, and N.Y.C. Small Business Owners are paying the price, The New York Times. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/28/nyregion/new-york-stores-robberies-theft.html (Accessed: 10 July 2023).

– NYPD announces citywide crime statistics for April 2023 (2023a) The official website of the City of New York. Available at: https://www.nyc.gov/site/nypd/news/p00080/nypd-citywide-crime-statistics-april-2023 (Accessed: 10 July 2023). 

– Pransky, N. (2022) Is crime in NYC actually soaring? 2022 crime rates in perspective, LX. Available at: https://www.lx.com/community/nyc-crime-rates-how-dangerous-is-new-york-city/51473/ (Accessed: 10 July 2023).