Even violent crime can take a day off in a city of 8 million. On Monday, New York City had its first day on record without a violent crime being reported.

For the New York City Police Dept., Monday was quite an anomaly. According to Reuters, the NYPD had no reports of a violent crime for one day. For that day, there were no reports of someone being shot, stabbed or any other type of violent crime, notes Reuters. For a city with more than 8 million residents, it's a statistical anomaly.

Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne, head NYPD spokesman, said this was the first time in memory that a day without violent crime had been reported, "a nice way to start the week," reports New York Daily News.

While a day without violent crime is rather unprecedented in a city as large as New York City, Browne says it's not so surprising given the work of the NYPD and the low murder rate. New York City has only 366 reported murders so far in 2012, the lowest number since 1960. By comparison, in 1990 there were 2,262 murders and in 1993 there were 1,927. In 2011 there were 515. NYPD historian Tom Reppetto says 2012 is on track to have around 400 murders, reports the Daily News.

The number of murders in New York City is impressive considering other large U.S. cities have more reported murders despite having less than half the population. Chicago, which has a population of 2.7 million people, has recorded 462 murders since the start of 2012, notes Reuters.

For the year to date, there also have been fewer New York shooting victims in 2012 than in 2011. But not all violent crimes are down. While the number of murders has fallen, rape, robbery, felony assault, burglary and grand larceny are all up in 2012 compared with 2011.

Reppetto believes it's more than just luck that has brought down the murder rate and credits NYPD policies such as the controversial stop and frisk policy, reports Reuters. The respite from violent crime ended at 11:20 a.m. Tuesday when a 27-year-old Brooklyn man was shot, notes the Daily News.

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