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The number of robberies happening inside New York City subway trains and stations has sharply risen during the coronavirus outbreak despite a dramatic decline in ridership, statistics show.
A crime report recently released by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority says there were 51 robberies throughout the subway system in March, up from 33 during the same month last year.
Meanwhile, ridership has plunged nearly 90 percent compared to the levels it was at before the coronavirus crisis, according to the New York Post.
The developments come as the MTA and New York City’s police department continue to grapple with coronavirus-related personnel shortages.
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As of Sunday night, more than 5,000 NYPD staff remain sidelined because of the virus, while transit officials have shifted some of their cops from commuter railroads to the subway system, the New York Post reports.
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The staffing shortage also has forced the MTA to bring in 70 privately-contracted security guards to help serve as extra “eyes and ears” on city transit, sources told the newspaper.
More could be brought in “as needed,” the sources added, although they will not be used for law enforcement.