NEW YORK, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- New York City police statistics show crime falling in most major categories for 2005, with the lowest murder count since 1963.

The New York Times (NYSE:NYT) reports 537 murders this year, barring anything happening Saturday.

There were 566 killings in 2004, 649 in 2001 and 2,245 in 1990.

Murder, rape, felony assault, burglary, grand larceny and auto theft all dropped compared to last year.

Gun arrests, shootings, victims of shootings, robberies and police shootings all went up.

The Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, the largest police union there, questioned the accuracy of the numbers.

Officials with the PBA said political pressure forces precinct commanders to downplay crime when recording it.

City officials say an internal auditing system catches 98.5 percent of all reporting errors.