Crime ticked up in Brooklyn at the start of 2026, as theft and hate crimes rose * Brooklyn Paper

"According to the latest NYPD data, major felonies - murder, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, grand larceny and grand larceny auto - were up 1.5% in the 28-day period from Jan. 5 to Feb. 1, compared to the same period in 2025. An increase in thievery was largely responsible for the rise. Robbery, which and grand larceny were up 8% and 1.5%, respectively, while grand larceny auto rose by a whopping 15%. Burglary, meanwhile, dropped significantly, by 24%."

"But other violent crimes dropped significantly, following citywide trends. Just two murders were reported in the borough, down 77% from nine murders during the same period last year. Rape declined by 8%. Shooting incidents, which are not included as a major felony, were down by 50%, the data show. The commissioner said the decline was attributable to the NYPD's "Winter Violence Reduction Plan," which sent nearly 2,000 officers on nightly patrols in violence-prone areas across the city. In those areas, major crime is down 36.3%, per the NYPD."

"While the department's tactics seemed effective in lowering most violent incidents, hate crimes rose. In Brooklyn, hate crimes were up 20% compared to the same period in 2025, with 12 total incidents reported. And while the number of reported hate crimes was down slightly across the city, Tisch said the number of incidents investigated by the NYPD's Hate Crime Task Force was up 152%, with a massive jump in antisemitic incidents."

Major felonies in the borough rose 1.5% over the 28-day period from Jan. 5 to Feb. 1, driven largely by theft: robbery increased 8%, grand larceny 1.5%, and grand larceny auto surged 15%, while burglary fell 24%. Violent crimes declined sharply: murders dropped from nine to two (a 77% decrease), rape fell 8%, and shootings fell 50%. The NYPD attributed declines to the Winter Violence Reduction Plan, which deployed nearly 2,000 officers and yielded a 36.3% drop in major crime in targeted areas. Hate crimes rose, with Brooklyn incidents up 20% and investigations up 152%.

Read at Brooklyn Paper