NEW YORK – As crime continues to spike in New York City, the NYPD has announced it will increase the number of officers in well-traveled areas, including tourist hotspots, shopping centers, and houses of worship.
The action comes just weeks after the city began parading officers below the streets, inside the city’s subway system, where crime has also increased in recent months.
“Across New York City, additional police officers will be deployed to tourist hotspots, shopping locations, and houses of worship. The NYPD is committed to keeping everyone who lives in, works in, and visits New York safe this holiday season,” the department said.
Tourists have been returning to New York City since the end of the global COVID-19 pandemic, but many are now staying away due to rising fears of becoming victims of crime.
Mayor Eric Adams has announced several initiatives to bring tourist back to the city this holiday season and now, it’s up to the NYPD to make sure those tourists have a safe visit.
One of those plans is to close off areas of the city to vehicular traffic.
As part of the plan, the Adams administration is launching two marketing campaigns encouraging New Yorkers and visitors to shop at local small businesses in Midtown and across the city. Through a partnership between the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT), New York City Police Department (NYPD), and the Fifth Avenue Association, the city will — for the first time in half a century — transform Fifth Avenue, from 48th Street to 57th Street, into an Open Street on three Sundays in December, while bringing back the overwhelmingly popular pedestrianized area around Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall throughout the holiday season.
“Every year, people come from across the world to New York City, and to Midtown Manhattan specifically, during the holiday season. This year, we are going to make that experience safer and more enjoyable for all New Yorkers and visitors with more access to Open Streets,” said Mayor Adams. “This is the kind of bold, creative thinking that we need to ensure the city’s comeback is strong, equitable, and inclusive. And to all those coming in from out of town, I have only two messages: Happy holidays and spend money.”