On the beat with New York's crime photographer

For at least one group of hardened professionals in New York City, near record-low crime figures are distinctly bad for business. At almost every major crime scene in the city, the press photographers trail right behind the police cars and ambulances - or even beat them there.

Marc Hermann, now in his early 30s, worked as a staff crime photographer for the New York Daily News for years. He began wondering what it would be like to see how past crime scenes from New York's streets have changed.

His Then and Now series went viral, and he took BBC News to some of his favourite locations. It is partly a tribute to the old-timers who captured the dramatic aftermath of organised crime in its hey-day, and an homage to the city's turbulent history.

Produced by Ilya Shnitser and Matt Wells.

First Person is a series of video features published every Monday on the BBC News website which tell the stories of unique individuals from all walks of life in their own words.