The Brooklyn District Attorney's Office says the borough had its safest year ever, with a drop in murders and shootings in 2016.

There were 127 murders in 2016, which is more than a 10 percent decrease from last year.

However, community advocate Tony Herbert disagrees with the statistics.

"I applaud the NYPD and the district attorney for the work that they're doing with this gang violence, but at the end of the day it still exists," says Herbert. "So how do we knock it out completely? When they come up with that magic number, I'll be more impressed."

For the most part, Brooklyn residents say they feel safe, especially compared to years before.

There have been multiple initiatives to reduce crime including the Crime Strategies Unit, NYPD's Cease Fire Program and targeting criminal activity by gangs.

The purpose of these initiatives is to crack down on the drivers of crime.

"The theory is that in every neighborhood there's really only a handful of people who are responsible for committing the most violent crimes," says acting District Attorney, Eric Gonzalez.

Ultimately though, some, like Herbert, think there is still much work ahead for the borough.

Gonzalez says that they plan to drive down crime even further next year.