NEW YORK (Sputnik) — New York City has recorded an increased number of murders in the month of February while the overall crime rate dropped to a historic low, Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a press conference on Wednesday.
"We recorded 20 murders during the month of February 2017. That's up from 18," De Blasio stated. "We had one of the safest Februarys in modern history of [the New York Police Department]. Overall crime was down 9.7% in the major crime categories."
The mayor remarked on the continuous significant reduction in shootings and pointed to the practice of neighborhood policing, improved training facilities, additional workforce and new technologies as the key factors for the tendency.
Compared to the previous year, the shooting rate in New York City is down 35.5%, according to a recently released police report.
