BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – A more than 50 percent increase in the commission of major crime in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis has been realized in 2016, according to statistics released by the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force.
The body of information was released yesterday (Feb. 25), 56 days into the new year, and following several requests from the media and promises that it would be released ‘shortly’.
According to comparative statistics, there was a 10.2 percent decrease in major crimes in 2015. In that year the number of recorded incidents was 1019 and 1135 in 2015. However in 2016, a significant increase of 56.6 percent was recorded.
The number of murders and incidents of manslaughter recorded in 2016 is 31, which represents a 10.7 percent increase over 2015’s 28.
Incidents of wounding which were committed with firearms, decreased by 66.7 percent from 15 in 2015 to five in 2016. Other incidents of wounding however, stood at 114 in 2016, an increase of 45 over 2015’s 69. This registers a 65.2 percent increase.
Shootings at with intent in 2016 stood at 26, a 160 percent increase over the previous year’s figure.
While incidents of robbery were down eight percent in 2016, those of breakings increased from 242 in 2015 to 415 in 2016 (71.5 percent) and larcenies increased from 215 in 2015 to 390 last year, registering an 81.4 percent increase.
Attempted murders increased by 94.7 percent, totaling 19 in 2015 and 37 in 2016.
A 25 percent increase was registered in the “sex crimes” category which includes rape, indecent assault and unlawful carnal knowledge. In 2015, 36 incidents were recorded and 45 in 2016.
Firearm possession and importation cases were 30 in 2015, increasing by 13.3 percent to 34 in 2016. Similarly, drug possession and importation cases rose from 204 in 2015 to 275 or 34.8 percent in 2016.
A 94.2 percent increase in the number of malicious damage/arson cases was realized with the 2015 figure standing at 86 and last year’s standing at 167.
The “other crimes” category for which 40 incidents were registered in 2014 and 29 in 2015, saw a 62.1 percent increase in 2016, bringing it to 47.
The Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force reports that the total number of recorded acts of crime for 2016 is 1643, an increase of 56.8 percent over the previous year’s 1048.
A couple of days ago at the Police Force High Command’s first press conference for the year, Commissioner of Police Ian Queeley noted however, that the organisation is encouraged by the decrease in violent crimes thus far for the year, when compared with the same period in 2016.
“So far in 2017, we are encouraged by the downward trend in violent incidents. We will continue with our increased operational tempo. Year to date, homicides, when compared to the same period last year, are down by 66 percent. That is to say at this point in time last year, we had recorded already six homicides. This year, prayerfully, we have only had two and we would hope to keep it that way.”
