BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - EVEN though the Police Force has upped the ante in its effort to stop violent crimes in St. Kitts and Nevis, the detection rate remains very low.
Addressing reporters on Wednesday (Oct. 26) at the Prime Minister’s monthly press conference, Commissioner of Police Ian Queeley had indicated that the Federation had on record 26 homicides for the year, of which only four were solved.
“To date, there are 26 homicides in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis. In terms of the detection rate, it has not increased from the last time we met...there were four murders detected.”
When contacted today (Nov. 1) for a comment and clarification, the top cop told SKNVibes that he was in a meeting at the time but noted that the figure he had given was not correct, instead the number of cases solved stood at six.
The Commissioner declared that the five cases include the recent shooting of 39-year-old Marlon Mills of Sandy Point, who killed while seated in a parked vehicle with a female in St. Johnston Village on October 25.
Dwight ‘Mac 11’ Jacobs of Buckley’s Estate was arrested and charged with Mills’ murder.
Despite those facts, many citizens and residents are still fearful of their safety.
Just this morning a young mother in Parray’s Village, St. Peter’s was stabbed multiple times after she awoke to an intruder in her bedroom.
Of the figures the CoP stated, it did not include the death of Police Officer Brian Pacquette, who succumb to his injuries while seeking treatment in Trinidad and Tobago.
Pressed for a comment on forensic evidence which is known to lead to successful prosecution, since many cases lack that information and are often dismissed in the courts, Queeley explained that the work officers have done in recent times with British Consulting firm Bramshill has borne fruits.
“The consultation with Bramshill Consulting firm has yielded results for the Police Service. The consultation has seen the improvement of various aspects of the policing that we deliver, as well as the policies that are developed by the respective Directorates in terms of managing resources.”
The detection rate is very poor, with figures standing at 18.5%.
