Robberies, Burglaries Spike On UWS In February, Says Crime Data

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — Robberies and burglary each saw triple-digit percentage increases in February compared to last year on the Upper West Side, according to NYPD crime data.

Robbery rose a staggering 466 percent in the 24th Precinct, an area between West 86th Street to Cathedral Parkway, the data shows.

Likewise, burglary reports jumped 137 percent in the 20th Precinct, which covers West 59th to West 86th streets, data shows.

The huge jumps for robbery and burglary for the two precincts that cover the Upper West Side weren't seen across the board.

Major felonies year-to-date are lower than where they were this time last year, although the 24th Precinct actually had 14 percent more reported in the last month than compared to February last year, the data shows.

That rise appears to be mostly driven by the dramatic statistical rise in robberies, which rose from three reports last February to 17 this year.

Burglary also rose in the 24th Precinct by an additional three incidents (30 percent increase), and there were three reported transit crimes compared to none last year.

But other crime reports decreased in the precinct compared to February, 2023.

Assaults dropped by 16 percent, auto theft dropped by 33 percent and grand larcenies fell by 2.6 percent.

There were no murders this February, compared to one last year, and one rape, a drop from the two reported in 2023.

Even misdemeanors fell, including petit larceny (14 percent) and retail theft (8 percent), and there were no traffic fatalities.

The overall statistical crime picture in the 24th Precinct states that so far this year, crime is nearly nine percent lower than last year, and over 12 percent lower than this time in 2022.

That continues a trend from January, where reported major crimes were roughly 28 percent lower than the same month last year.

Below West 86th Street, covered by the 20th Precinct, the numbers were better for February — but a smaller decline was seen in the overall year-to-date.

The 137 percent rise in burglary meant that there were 11 more reported incidents last month over last year, for a total of 19. Last year, there were only eight in February.

Other increases were seen in robbery, with one additional reported incident, a 13 percent rise in petit larceny, and two rapes, a rise from the one reported last year.

Transit crimes remained steady, with only one reported incident this year and last year.

Declines were most dramatic in auto theft, which dropped from 10 reports last year to only three this year, a 70 percent difference, and in assaults, with only four reports compared to seven last year, a fall of nearly 43 percent.

Retail theft reports dropped by over 4 percent and misdemeanor assault fell by nearly 7 percent.

Compared to last February, reported major felonies were overall 3.3 percent lower.

So far this year, major crimes are down 3 percent even — a lower percentage difference than compared to the change seen in the precinct slightly north.

But that's a big turnaround from the first month of the year, where numbers showed an increase in major felonies of 17.72 percent over January 2023.

Compared to this time two years ago, reported crime numbers are still 1.57 percent higher in the 20th Precinct. That same number in January showed a 37 percent increase.