The NYPD has been working to reduce a growth in gun violence across the city.

But Police Commissioner Dermot Shea says first and foremost, people need to be held accountable.

“We need people that carry firearms to know three things — that there’s going to be swift, certain, punishment. Period. And if we get to that point, we’re going to be in a much, much better place,” he told NY1 in an exclusive interview.

Shea pointed to a recent double shooting incident in Elmhurst, Queens, where he recognized a person’s name on the report.

“In a city of 8.6 million people, how does the police commissioner recognize and know the history of this individual? Well the reason is because he’s had five prior gun incidents in New York City,” he said.

“We need people to have consequences for carrying guns,” said Shea.

Gun violence has been trending down in recent weeks, but there’s still work to be done, says Shea. There were about 41 shooting incidents in the past week, but this figure was closer to 60 three weeks ago, says the police commissioner.

“It’s moving in the right direction, but it’s going to take some time,” he said.

The NYPD is also being questioned about its approach to traffic tickets.

Traffic tickets have shot down in recent months, even though speed cameras in school zones indicate the number of traffic violators in July was actually up compared to February. Police gave out just over 5,000 tickets in the third week of July, while nearly 21,000 were handed out in the third week of February.

But the police commissioner says officers are not being instructed to back down from traffic tickets. He says the pandemic has meant less drivers on the road and fewer accidents.

He even took some offense to the allegations.

“It’s a little bit insulting at times when you hear this. Cops are running towards danger every day in this city,” said Shea.

Complaints have also been mounting for other reasons, particularly on the Upper West Side.

Residents say their neighborhood has changed dramatically in the past few weeks with a decision by the city to buy out all of the rooms in three hotels and turn them into homeless shelters.

“We have no role in where the homeless are placed, but we’re certainly dealing with the aftermath now,” said Shea.

On June 30 when the NYPD’s most recent budget was finalized,the department’s homeless outreach unit was essentially dissolved. But Shea says the NYPD will still assist.

“This is much beyond the police, but we’ll be there,” he said.

The police commissioner joined Mornings On 1 via Skype.