The number of grand larcenies in the city each year has fallen by only 1% since 2002; during the same period, the number of such thefts committed nationwide fell by 13%, as Alison Fox at the Wall Street Journal reports.
The New York Police Department specifically calls out the theft of Apple products for the recent rise, which accounted for 18% of grand larcenies committed in the city in 2013.
Last year, that amounted to a total of 8,465 Apple product thefts. Fox notes that many of these thefts happen on the city's hectic public transportation, where many don't pay enough attention to their surroundings.
The NYPD recommends iPhone owners use Apple's "Find My iPhone" application so that they can track their device if it's stolen. Here's Apple's page for "Find My iPhone," for instructions on setting up Apple's app for tracking and locking burglars out of your device.