NYPD: Crime down but murders up

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - With just 29 days left in the year, the NYPD provided an update on the city's crime numbers. In a nutshell, murders are up but Commissioner Bill Bratton says the year should close out with historically low crime levels.

Bratton praised the department's crime fighting efforts for this year. But according to the latest crime stat numbers, murders are up: 318 versus last year's record low of 298.

I asked the commissioner why homicides are up, he said it's important to put those numbers into context given that the city has a population of 8.5 million. He said New York's murders are below the national average. The NYPD said 39 percent of the murders are gang related, which pose a different set of challenges.

2,000 additional NYPD officers will hit the streets next year. Bratton said that should help bring crime down even more in 2016.