Reported murders in Queens bucked the city’s downward spiraling trend and edged up last year, according to the latest New York City Police Department’s crime statistics.
But overall Queens’ reported felony crime including murder, rape, robbery, felony assault, burglary, grand larceny and auto theft fell 8.3 percent in 2017, reflecting the city’s overall felony crime reduction of a little more than 5 percent.
Queens crime statistics is divided into two sectors, Queens North and Queens South, which includes eight police precincts each. Both sectors saw a reduction in overall felony crime.
There were 50 reported murders in 2017 as compared to 47 in 2016 for a 6.4% increase.
The 105th precinct covering Queens Village and Cambria Heights saw the biggest jump with 6 reported murders in 2017 compared with 1 in 2016, a 500% surge.
The 103rd precinct covering Hollis and Jamaica saw an additional two murders from last year, bringing the total to 6, despite shooting incidents and victims decreasing by 55% and 46% respectively in the precinct. The figure is still lower than in 2001, which had 10 reported murders in the area.
Conversely, the 107th precinct (which includes Fresh Meadows), 108th precinct (includes Long Island City), and 112th precinct (includes Forest Hills) all saw decreases in murder, to none in 2017.
Out of the felony crimes, there was a slight uptick in rape reports in 2017, with an increase of 14 incidents, or 5% compared with 2016.
There has been an overall decrease in shooting incidents, about 21%, and shooting victims, about 26%.
While most reported felony crime was down, misdemeanor sex crimes, which the NYPD statistics include as sexual abuse, sexual misconduct, forcible touching, endangering the welfare of a child, and obscenity was up 16% in 2017 as compared to 2016.
Neither Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown nor Queens Borough President Melinda Katz returned requests for comment on these crime statistics.
Editors Note: These statistics were based on reported crimes through Dec. 24, 2017 and do not reflect the last week of 2017.
