There were no shootings in New York City last weekend - the first time this has happened in 25 years.

Police chief James O'Neill said: "We went Friday, Saturday, Sunday without any shootings and homicides.

"That's the first time in decades, and that's something not just the NYPD, but all New Yorkers can be proud of."

Image: Police chief James O'Neill has praised his officers. File pic

The last weekend the city went without any shootings was in 1993, according to police.

The run of no shootings began after an attack in Brooklyn on Thursday and continued until Monday, when a person was shot in the Bronx, according to the city's Daily News.


Speaking at a police graduation ceremony, mayor Bill de Blasio commended the NYPD.

He said: "A city of 8.6 million people, not a single shooting for three days." He called it an "extraordinary" achievement.

The milestone was tweeted by head of patrol police, chief Rodney Harrison.

He wrote: "My thanks to every member of the NYPD for working hard to protect this city and to every member of the public who has helped us make this city so safe."

This past weekend #NYC had no shootings, a milestone we haven't reached in over a decade. My thanks to every member of the #NYPD for working hard to protect this city and to every member of the public who has helped us make this city so safe. — Chief Rodney Harrison (@NYPDChiefPatrol) 15 October 2018

Up until 7 October, there were 600 shootings across the city so far this year, according to police.

This is a fall of about 2% compared with the same time period in 2017.

But there have been intermittent spikes.

The weekend of 6-7 October, for example, was "terrible," with several shootings in Brooklyn and the Bronx, authorities said.

And the number of murders is on the rise again this year, after hitting a low in 2017 of 292 - a record since the 1950s.

In the first half of 2018, the city recorded 147 murders, an 8% increase over the same period in 2017, and mostly in Brooklyn and the Bronx.