New York – Crime rose at an alarming pace across New York, with every borough reporting increases for the first time in 20 years.
Major felonies are up 4.2 percent citywide, fueled by a frightening hike in shootings, sex crimes and street robberies, according to NYPD statistics for the year to date compared with the same period in 2011.
The only silver lining was a decrease in murders, which were down 15.6 percent, from 212 to 179.
The NYPD divides the city into eight "patrol boroughs" -- and crime has gone up in each one for the first time since at least 1994, sources said.
Four main factors contributed to the spike, including a slowdown of "stop and frisks," pressure to stop downgrading crimes, a rise in grand larcenies and fewer cops on the street.
"Cops now are taking reports where they didn't in the past," one law enforcement source said.
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
