Nov. 1, 2023 By Ethan Marshall
Crime continues to rise in northern Queens, although it remains flat in the southern portion of the borough, according to the NYPD’s latest crime statistics released Oct. 29.
The number of major crimes — murder, rape, robbery, felony assault, burglary, grand larceny and grand larceny of automobiles — increased 6.8% in northern Queens for the year through Oct. 29, compared to the same period last year. There were 13,796 major crimes reported in northern Queens for the year through Oct. 29, up from 12,915 last year.
In southern Queens, the number of major crimes reported is largely flat year-to-date, going from 9,132 in 2022 to 9,086 this year.
QNS illustration
QNS illustration
The trend across the borough continued over the past month, according to NYPD data. In total, there were 1,408 major crimes in northern Queens between Oct. 1-29, up from 1,330 for same period a year ago. Meanwhile, in southern Queens, there was a decrease from 869 for the 28-day period in 2022 to 853 this year.
Almost every precinct in northern Queens reported an increase over the 28-day period, with grand larceny of automobiles in northern Queens rising from 195 to 275 cases.
The biggest jump in grand larceny autos was seen in the 109th Precinct, which covers Flushing, Queensboro Hill, College Point, Whitestone and Bay Terrace. The number increased from 38 to 64.
Felony assaults also rose in northern Queens over the 28-day-period—from 195 in 2022 to 227 this year. The increase was particularly notable in the 114th Precinct, which covers Astoria, Long Island City, Woodside and Jackson Heights, where cases jumped from 37 in 2022 to 59 this year.
While crime was flat in southern Queens over the 28-day period, the number of felony assaults increased from 175 to 222.
Burglaries, however, decreased from 137 for the 28-day-period in 2022 to 83 this year. All but one precinct experienced a drop in burglaries, with the largest decrease seen in the 103rd Precinct, which includes Hollis Park Gardens, Hollis, Lakewood and Jamaica—where the number declined from 31 to 11.
Across the entire borough, burglaries dipped in the past 28 days on a year-over-year basis. The number of cases reported in northern Queens went down from 166 to 151.
Murders have dropped significantly throughout the borough this year. Year-over-year, there has been a sharp decline in both northern and southern Queens. After experiencing 23 murders from Jan. 1 to Oct. 29 in 2022, northern Queens has seen just 17 so far this year. The drop-off is even more drastic in southern Queens, from 41 to 14.