BASSETERRE, St. Kitts — THE Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force is touting a decline in overall major crime during the first half of 2026, but Commissioner of Police James Sutton has cautioned that increases in several violent offences remain a significant concern.
Speaking at a press conference on yesterday (Jul. 23), Sutton reported a 10.4 percent reduction in major crimes between January and June 2026 compared with the same period last year.
According to the Commissioner, the Federation recorded 526 major offences during the first six months of 2026, down from 587 during the corresponding period in 2025 — a reduction of 61 offences.
"This reduction is not accidental," Sutton told reporters. "It is the result of the dedication of our officers, improved intelligence-led policing, stronger interagency cooperation, increased visibility through patrols, and continued support from law-abiding members of our communities."
He said the decline reflects the impact of the Force's crime-fighting strategies and has contributed to improving public safety across the Federation.
Among the categories showing the largest reductions were robberies, which fell by more than 53 percent, dropping from 13 reported cases to six. Firearm and ammunition offences also declined by more than 53 percent, while drug-related offences were down 38 percent. Malicious damage fell by 30 percent and break-ins declined by approximately 19 percent.
However, Sutton did not provide the actual number of offences recorded in several of those categories.
"These are meaningful improvements that demonstrate the effectiveness of our targeted enforcement operations and proactive policing strategies," he said.
He also highlighted that offences involving illegal firearms and drug trafficking continue to maintain a 100 percent detection rate, crediting the work of specialist investigative and operational units.
The Commissioner noted that the Force intensified stop-and-search operations, executed targeted search warrants and increased other proactive policing initiatives as criminal activity escalated during the early months of the year.
Breaking down the figures by island, Sutton said Nevis recorded the larger decline, with major offences falling by 33 percent, from 151 to 102.
"Nevis also continues to maintain a higher overall detection rate than St. Kitts," Sutton said. "I commend the officers serving in the Nevis Division for their professionalism, commitment and hard work. Their achievements demonstrate what we can accomplish through focused policing, strong supervision and community partnership."
Despite the overall decline in crime, the Commissioner acknowledged increases in several violent offences.
While the number of murders remained unchanged at four, attempted murders rose from four to six — a 50 percent increase. Police also recorded increases in woundings, grievous bodily harm and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Sutton said those offences continue to reflect interpersonal conflicts that escalate into violence. "These incidents remind us that policing alone cannot solve violence. Families, communities, schools, churches, youth organisations and other stakeholders have a critical role to play in promoting peaceful conflict resolution and discouraging retaliation and criminal behaviour."
Larceny remains the Federation's most common major crime. Police recorded 191 reports of larceny during the first half of the year, an increase over the corresponding period in 2025. Those offences now account for more than one-third of all major crimes reported.
Despite the increase, Sutton said investigators improved the detection rate for larceny from 29 percent to 38 percent, which he described as evidence of stronger investigative work.
The Force's overall detection rate, however, slipped slightly from 47.7 percent to 45.6 percent.
Sutton said the police are not satisfied with that decline and are strengthening investigative capacity through enhanced intelligence gathering, greater use of forensic evidence, improved case management and closer collaboration with regional and international law enforcement agencies.
Looking ahead to the second half of the year, the Force is expected to continue targeting violent offenders and illegal firearms, strengthen homicide and sexual offence investigations, intensify efforts to combat property crimes — particularly larcenies — increase high-visibility patrols in identified hotspots and expand intelligence-led policing operations across the Federation.
He also thanked police officers, civilian staff, the St. Christopher and Nevis Defence Force, Customs and Excise, Immigration, the Financial Intelligence Unit, regional and international law enforcement partners, community organisations, the private sector and members of the public for their continued support.
While welcoming the reduction in major crime, Sutton stressed that the Force is not becoming complacent.
