The number of Apple related larcenies continues to rise in New York City

Crime in New York City has actually been dropping in most categories except for Grand Larcenies. That subset of crime has been flat over the last few years, mostly due to one particular crime: the strong arm robbery of Apple iPhones, Apple iPads and other smartphones and tablets. These crimes are usually considered "grand larceny in the fourth degree". 

Retired NYPD detective Joseph Giacalone notes that most of the thefts occur on public transportation when device owners aren't really paying attention to what is happening around them. While Grand Larcenies declined just 1% over the period from 2002 to 2013 (estimated), murders during the same time period declined by 43%, robberies dropped 30% and vehicular thefts dropped by 72%. Grand Larcenies have increased every year since 2010.

The current NYPD administration, under new commissioner William Bratton, said that Larceny arrests rose 13% from 2012 to 2013. Because of the popularity of Apple branded devices, the NYPD tracks thefts of such products separately. Last year, Apple products were involved in 18% of the Grand Larceny cases in the Big, uh, Apple. That works out to about 8000 devices. In 2002, there were only 25 such crimes involving Apple products.

NYPD officials suggest that Apple iPhone users activate "Find My iPhone," which is an app that allows iPhone users to track a lost or stolen unit, and wipe it remotely.


source: WSJ