Juveniles responsible for 11% of detected crime
By Terresa McCall
Reporter-SKNVibes.com
~~Adz:Right~~ BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - AN analytical view of the comparative crime statistics for the Federation of St. Christopher and Nevis shows that juveniles, over the past five years, have been responsible for committing between five and 14 percent of detected crime.
Between 2003 and 2007 and average of 10.42 percent of solved crime was committed by juveniles with the highest rate being recorded for 2006 and the lowest for 2004.
According to the body of figures presented by the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force, in 2003, 8.79 percent of detected crime was committed by persons under the age of 18 years; in 2004, 5.87 percent was committed by the youngsters; 12.19 in 2005; 13.62 percent in 2006 and last year, 11.63 percent of detected crime was committed by juveniles.
Of the 67 solved crime said to have been committed by juveniles, 35 fall under the category “other offences against property”, 14 under “offences against the person”, and nine each under the categories of “offences against morality” and “offences against lawful authority”.
Relative to St. Kitts, in 2007, 12.303 percent of detected crime was perpetrated by juveniles. Twenty-seven of the 55 criminal acts committed by juveniles fall under “Other offences against property”, 13 under “Offences against the person”, eight under “offences against morality” and the remaining seven fall under “Offences against lawful authority”.
Statistics for Nevis show that last year, 9.30 percent of detected crime was committed by juveniles. Eight of the 12 crimes committed by juveniles last year fall under the category of “Other offences against property”; two under “Offences against lawful authority”; one under “Offences against morality” and the remaining one falls under the “Offences against the person” category.
It should however be noted that this may not paint an accurate picture of what percentage of crime was committed in the Federation as, in 2007, for example, little more than two-thirds of reported crime is still unsolved; thus the perpetrators and their ages remain unknown.
While it is believed that a considerable number of criminal acts are perpetrated by young persons between the ages of 18 and 35, that information has not yet been made available.
