By Sasha Gonzales
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Homicides are down significantly in the Bronx this year, falling 38 percent compared with the same five-month period last year, new NYPD data shows.
The decrease—37 homicides versus 23 in 2018—reflects a trend toward fewer killings in the city overall compared to last year, from 117 to 103. The homicide totals were current as of May 26.
The borough also has seen a fall in the number of reported rapes, after a surge in violent attacks earlier this year led NYPD officials to send more officers to violence-plagued Bronx neighborhoods.
There were 163 reports of rape in the Bronx as of May 26, representing a two percent decrease from the 167 reported during the same period last year, according to NYPD data.
The May numbers represent a dramatic reversal; Sexual assaults had continued to surge during the first quarter of 2019, reflecting what departmental data showed was a citywide increase in sexual assault reporting during the #MeToo era.
Rapes are currently down two percent in the five boroughs, from 722 last year to 706 in 2019, data shows.