For the first time in 20 years, New York City’s annual crime rate is about to go up. Who does NY Mayor Michael Bloomberg believe is responsible for this? Why, Apple of course.

Well, not Apple directly but some people who really really want their Apple products. There has been a big jump in Apple-related thefts, and officials believe that it is the sole cause for the rate increase. The Mayor’s press secretary, Marc La Vorgna says that, “If you just took away the jump in Apple, we’d be down for the year.”

The city has logged 108,432 major crimes this year, which is 3,484 more than last year. The police say there has been a rise in thefts involving Apple products, which are now up by 3,890 compared to the previous year.

La Vorgna adds, “The proliferation of people carrying expensive devices around is so great… It’s something that’s never had to be dealt with before.”

[via The New York Times]