City slayings have jumped 55 percent so far this year compared to the same period in 2018 — fueled mainly by murders in northern Brooklyn, according to the latest NYPD statistics.
Last year, there were 31 killings reported in that time frame compared to 48 in 2019.
The area with the largest uptick is the department’s Brooklyn North command, which is comprised of 10 precincts and includes the neighborhoods of Bed-Stuy and East New York.
In this region alone, there also has been nearly a 70 percent increase in shootings — with cops already recording 15 murders so far this year, compared to the three that were reported in the 10 precincts for the same period in 2018.
“Of course they’re up,” a police source said of the slay numbers. “There’s more guns out there. There’s no stop and frisk. I think the streets are more dangerous now than they were five years ago.”
Some sources said that these days, cops would rather sit back and let criminals shoot each other rather than step in and possibly face the consequences.
“Guys are not putting themselves in a position for something to go wrong,’’ said Ed Mullins, president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association. “The criminals can see that cops aren’t proactive. They think it’s OK to carry a gun, it’s OK to fire.”
An NYPD spokesman said the department will continue to use “data-driven precision to target crime, along with neighborhood policing.
“The NYPD takes every crime seriously, and any murder is one too many,” the spokesman said. “The NYPD will use these proven tactics to address any temporary upticks, so that every New Yorker — regardless of zip code — can live in safety.”
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