Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy speaks at a news conference. McCarthy said the city is on track for a 20 percent drop in homicides for 2013. File photo/UPI/Brian Kersey | License Photo

CHICAGO, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- Chicago Police say the city is on track to finish the year with a 20 percent drop in homicides over 2012.

City police spokesman Adam Colllins said 30 people were killed in November, down from 39 in the year-ago period, and 112 people were shot, down from 182 in November 2012, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Monday.


So far this year, 380 people have been the victims of homicidal violence, down from 474 in the same period of 2012 and 398 in 2011, the newspaper said. The number of people shot in the city so far in 2013 has dropped 25 percent from a year ago to 1,712, Collins said. The total also is down 17 percent from 2011.

If the lower rate continues through this month, Chicago will have recorded the fewest murders since 1965, police said.

"Chicago Police continue to implement a comprehensive strategy, saturating high-crime areas with additional officers, using intelligence to prevent retaliatory gang shootings, moving officers from administrative positions back to the streets, and partnering with the community," Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said in a statement.

"While this year there has been less crime and fewer murders in Chicago than there have been in decades, there's far more work to be done and no one will rest until we reach the ultimate goal of zero crime."