Subway crime has increased by almost 20 percent this year, fueled by big spikes in robberies and grand larcenies, according to the latest NYPD data.

In the first four months of 2012, crime has risen by 18 percent, as compared with the same period of 2011. 

In the first four months of 2011, there were a total of 741 major crimes -- rapes, murders, robberies, assaults, burglaries and grand larcenies -- reported in the subways. For the first four months of 2012, there have been 876 instances of those crimes -- an increase of 18 percent.

The spike is being driven by sharp increases in robberies and grand larcenies, according to NYPD statistics.

Robberies are up from 231 instances in the first four months of 2011 to 294 in the first four months of 2012 -- an increase of 27 percent. Grand larcenies increased from 438 in the first four months of last year to 518 in the first four months of 2012. That's an increase of 18 percent.

There were no murders reported in the same time period for both years. But reported rapes are up in the first four months of this year. In 2011, one rape was reported in the first four months of the year.   This year there have been three reported in that period. 

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