Zero Hedge quoted a New York Police Department (NYPD) source as saying the famed city subway system has deteriorated and is now “like the Wild West.”
The source contradicted the subway system’s official statistics regarding violent crime, saying the numbers are “significantly higher.”
The official NYPD Transit Bureau report revealed that the number of subway area arrests has risen by 45%, with more than 3000 arrests reported in the first two months of 2024.
One NYPD source told the Epoch Times, “The numbers they are putting out are a complete joke, and everyone knows it.”
The source, who requested anonymity for fear of retribution, added: “The sense of lawlessness is so bad that unless you have personal experience in the system, especially at night, it is impossible to understand.”
Few agree with New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ assessment that “overall, crime is down.” The source said a “significant majority” of the crimes go unreported.
One X user claimed that suggestions of a decrease in crime are fiction, adding, “Shootings on the NYC subway are up 700%.”
Justin thinks the increase in crime is “fictional”. Someone should tell him shootings on the NYC subway are up 700% from this same time last year. That’s not fiction, that’s FACT. https://t.co/cDComkivwy pic.twitter.com/hfajntFhNA
— B Wemyss (@wemyss_b) March 18, 2024
“People understand that the majority of those who commit larceny or assaults are never going to be apprehended, so why go through the trouble of making a report?” the source said.
ABC News reported that the uptick in crime prompted New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) to call up approximately 1000 National Guard and State Trooper personnel to protect subway areas. Her order follows a late 2023 order to activate an additional 1000 police officers.
In announcing the latest call-up, Gov. Hochul said: “Since taking office, I have been laser-focused on driving down subway crime and protecting New Yorkers. I am sending a message to all New Yorkers: I will not stop working to keep you safe and restore your peace of mind whenever you walk through those turnstiles.”
“No one heading to their job, or to visit family, or to go to a doctor’s appointment should worry that the person sitting next to them possesses a deadly weapon,” the governor added.
Conservatives have linked the uptick in crime to the open southern border, the influx of immigrant gang members and soft-on-crime laws.
The Epoch Times reported that street chaos contributed to 2516 officers resigning from the NYPD in 2023, a 43% increase over the previous high of 1750 in 2018.
Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry said, “This is truly a disaster for every New Yorker who cares about safe streets.”
