Police in Suffolk County are reporting an uptick in crimes involving guns.

There were 154 gun-related crimes recorded in the period from January to June last year. Officials say there have been 203 such crimes during the same six-month period this year.

Suffolk Chief of Detectives William Madigan says crime is down in virtually every category in Suffolk compared to last year, except for gun-related crimes. He says police are seeing and seizing more guns on the streets.

"This year we've seized 188 guns already between January and June 30," Madigan says. "At this point last year, we had seized 92."

Police say they're sending extra patrols into areas where they've seen an uptick in gun violence.

County Legislator Kate Browning is calling for the hiring of more police officers. "We have so many retirements and we're not keeping up with those retirements," Browning said. "Our overtime costs are extremely high."

Nassau County officials say they've seen a 25 percent decrease in gun-related crimes in the first six months of this year, compared to 2014.