New York City Crime Index Increases, Mayor Bloomberg Blames iPad and iPhone Thefts

The crime index for New York City has increased, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg has found the culprit: Apple, Inc. According to Bloomberg, the increasing number of iPhone and iPad thefts in New York City has caused a rise in crime-related activities.

During his weekly radio show on Friday morning, Bloomberg revealed that police recorded 3,484 more major crimes in 2012 than for the same period last year. Bloomberg then notes that 3,890 Apple product thefts were reported.

In comparison, homicides currently number 414, the lowest rate since NYC started recording the rate in 1963. New York’s lowest homicide rate came in 2009 when 471 reports were filed.

According to mayor press secretary Marc La Vorgna:

“If you just took away the jump in Apple, we’d be down for the year.”

Other devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S III and the Google Nexus 7 were not included in Mayor Bloomberg’s count.

In response to the increase in Apple-related crimes, Bloomberg offered the following advice:

“Put it in a pocket in sort of a more body-fitting, tighter clothes, that you can feel if it was — if somebody put their hand in your pocket, not just an outside coat pocket.”

In 2011, police investigators found that thieves were actually targeting iPhone carrying citizens on the New York Subway.

As of Monday morning last week, the city has reported 108,432 major crimes for the year, up from 104,948 over the same period in 2011.

Are you surprised by the number of Apple iPhone and iPad thefts occurring in New York City on a yearly basis?

[Image via ShutterStock]