By Philip Newman
Crime in the subways has been declining for years, but increased 24 percent last year with half of crimes involving snatch-and-grab thefts from straphangers onboard trains.
Deputy Chief Owen Monaghan of the NYPD Transit Bureau said much of subway crime was inside subway trains rather than on station platforms. He said that was where police are directing their efforts.
Monaghan told the MTA Transit Committee that 70 percent of subway grand larceny was committed on board trains by people who have abandoned stealth and cunning to simply grab items like iPhones from passengers.
Statistics show 40 percent of subway crimes is in Manhattan, 33 percent in Brooklyn, 14 percent in Queens and 13 percent in the Bronx.
Reach contributing writer Philip Newman by e-mail at timesledgernews@cnglocal.com or phone at 718-260-4536.
