The New York City Police Department has released the latest crime data, showing that from the beginning of 2024 until August 11th, there have been a total of 37,115 cases of retail theft in the city, representing a 2.8% increase compared to the same period last year.
Among the 77 precincts of the NYPD in New York City, the number of reported retail theft cases has increased by 50% in four precincts compared to the same period last year. These precincts are the 90th Precinct in Williamsburg, the 5th Precinct in Manhattan’s Chinatown, the 13th Precinct in Union Square Park, and the 103rd Precinct in Jamaica, Queens.
According to the NYPD, from the beginning of 2024 until August 11th, the 90th Precinct has seen a total of 228 cases of shoplifting, a significant increase of 178% from the 82 cases reported during the same period last year.
The 5th Precinct has accumulated 688 cases, a 74.6% increase from last year; the 12th Precinct has reported 1,500 cases, a 58.3% increase from the previous year, while the 103rd Precinct has seen 758 cases, an 88.6% increase.
Mr. Lin, a Chinese business owner with stores in Chinatown and Flushing, expressed concerns about the deteriorating security situation in New York City during an interview with the Epoch Times. He mentioned incidents of break-ins and thefts in his establishments, illustrating the challenges faced by local business owners.
In Flushing, the 109th Precinct has reported a total of 1,108 cases of retail theft, with over 1,700 cases of minor theft offenses such as petty theft.
However, these precincts do not compare to the epicenter of retail theft in Manhattan – Midtown.
The Midtown South Precinct covers some of the most tourist-frequented areas in Manhattan, including Times Square, Koreatown, Penn Station, and Madison Square Garden. This precinct has already accumulated 2,205 cases of retail theft, marking a 2.8% increase from the same period last year.
The phenomenon of “zero-cost purchases” plaguing New York City stores reached its peak two years ago, with over 100,000 cases reported in both 2022 and 2023, breaking records set by the NYPD in the past two decades.
In May 2023, Mayor Eric Adams’ office released a 33-page research report indicating a 77% increase in retail theft in New York City from 2018 to 2022, with a significant concentration of cases in Manhattan.