Pickpocketing is now so rampant on the subways that the NYPD Transit Bureau has shaped a particular group of detectives and officers devoted solely to nailing perpetrators, officers stated Tuesday.
“Because the ridership and trains have grow to be extra crowded, now we have seen a rise in grand larceny this yr — 51% thus far,” Transit Chief Jason Wilcox informed MTA board members at a bus and transit committee assembly.
“One quarter of those grand larcenies are fueled by the rise in pickpocket crime,” Wilcox stated.
He stated the brand new squad is made up of “hand-picked, expert” cops.
The NYPD has shaped such groups previously as wanted, he stated.
The group will observe “pickpocket crime exercise” and “assault it,” specializing in “identified recidivists,” Wilcox stated.
Whereas grand larcenies are up over final yr, their general numbers stay beneath 2019 ranges, or pre-pandemic, when ridership was greater, in response to the newest NYPD information.
Earlier than the pandemic, in January 2020, there have been 151 grand larcenies. By July 2020, there have been simply 33 that month, as ridership plummeted.
In the meantime, cops recorded 108 grand larcenies within the system final month, in response to the newest statistics.
Officers are conscious of lots of the recidivists, Wilcox stated — including that a few of them are the identical thieves he handled as a transit cop 10 years in the past.
He described one latest incident during which Transit Bureau cops adopted a repeat offender instantly after his trial for one grand larceny offense, solely to witness the person instantly rob an aged lady earlier than getting on the subway in Chinatown.
Cops are warning New Yorkers and guests to remain vigilant as the town grows extra crowded round Christmas and New Yr’s.
“Pickpockets will not be new to transit — they're an previous nemesis to the transit system,” Wilcox stated. “And they'll now be drawn to the massive crowds out buying throughout the vacation season.”
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