BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – AFTER missing the mark on the previous two years, the Federation’s crime detection rate for 2008 has risen to meet international standards.
Crime Statistics compiled and published by the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force indicate that in 2006 and 2007 the nation fell short registering 32.38 percent and 31.10 percent respectively, but in 2008 it managed to achieve a 33.98 percent detection rate.
According to Commissioner of Police Austin Williams, the internationally accepted crime detection rate is 33 percent.
The report grouped all crimes into eight categories and listed the number of reported incidents for each and the respective detection rates.
In 2008 there were 2 048 reported crimes of which murders, 23 in number, constituted 1.1 percent. Robberies and malicious damage/arson constituted 5 percent and 8.3 percent respectively while woundings constitutes 8.5 percent of total reported crime for 2008. Offences involving firearms and illicit drugs numbered 194, constituting 9.5 percent of the 2008’s total crime. “Larcenies” and “Breakings” amounted to a combined total of 59.6 percent of total crime in 2008. Respectively, they constituted 22.4 percent and 37.2 percent of the whole. Other crime amounted to 8.1 percent of total crime for 2008.
Of the 2 048 crimes reported in 2008, 696 were solved registering a 34 percent detection rate. Of the 23 murders, 11 or 47.8 percent was solved while 69 percent of woundings was detected. A 32.3 percent detection rate was achieved for incidents of malicious damage/arson and a 25.5 percent detection rate achieved for larcenies.
All of the 194 “firearms and drugs” incidents were detected while the detection rates for “robberies” and “breakings” stood at 18.6 percent and 8.3 percennt respectively. Approximately 71 percent of crimes listed under the “Other” category was detected.
The report also outlines the detection rates for the island of St. Kitts and that of Nevis, according to which St. Kitts’ stood at 45.8 percent while Nevis’ stood at 31.5 percent.
On St. Kitts, detection rates parallel to or surpassing the internationally accepted detection rate were achieved in the areas of “Murder”, “Woundings”, “Malicious Damage/Arson”, “Firearms and Drugs” and “Other”. The results were similar on Nevis but for the exception in the area of “Larcenies”, which has also achieved an internationally acceptable detection rate.
Police Press and Public Relations Officer Inspector Cromwell Henry told SKNVibes that the force has committed itself to an aggressive crime-reduction campaign coupled with a strategy aimed at improving the Federation’s crime detection rate.
