Political and law enforcement leaders in Newark will try to intervene in robberies and small disputes in an effort to curtail the rising murder rate, officials said.
There have been 43 homicides in Newark this year, a 24 percent increase over this period last year, when there were 35, police said.
To curtail the increase, Mayor Ras Baraka and Police Director Anthony Ambrose are pushing a strategic approach to reduce violent crime 20 percent by the year 2020.
Baraka announced his plan, which focuses on reaching young robbery suspects before they commit violent crimes in the city. He also wants officers to intervene in disputes before they turn into shootings and homicides.
“I look at crime as prevention and intervention,” Ambrose said. “We can't arrest our way out of this.”
