NYPD's latest statistics show crime is rising in New York City

NEW YORK (WABC) -- The latest statistics from the NYPD show that crime is on the rise in New York City.

The NYPD announced their citywide crime statistics on Thursday for the month of February.

According to the report, last month saw a 22.5% increase in major crimes compared to the same period in 2019.

The City saw a more than 7% increase in shooting incidents. Robberies, assaults, burglaries and grand larcenies all saw increases as well.

New York City Police Commissioner Dermot Shea says the department has identified 15 areas where it plans to conduct more foot patrols.

"We'll redeploy and maybe quite significantly as we're working through our plans going forward in terms of putting more officers out on the street and to the places where we see most people being victimized," Shea said.

In addition to redeployment, the NYPD plans to increase staff and focus on the youth to combat the uptick in crime.

"We will continue to use precision policing to target enforcement and deepen our work with communities to fight crime," Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

Despite the increase in crime, murder was down 20% last month and reported rape decreased by 6%.