Overall crime was up last month, but the NYPD is touting a drop in murders and shootings so far this year.

Officials say through February 28, there have been 39 murders and 116 shootings in the five boroughs. They say those are the lowest recorded numbers for the year-to-date in the CompStat era.

There were 17 murders and 57 shootings in the city last month, down from 18 and 59 respectively in the same time frame last year.

However, overall crime saw an increase of nearly 3 percent last month compared to last year.

Still, Police Commissioner William Bratton says the stats are encouraging.

"We're making so many fewer arrests than we were years ago," Bratton said. Why? There's less to arrest for, with murders down from 2,243 to last year, 350, and so far this year, record lows as we're going forward."

The Department says rapes, robberies and felony assaults were all up for the month.