THE number of recorded crimes for last year decreased when compared to the same time the year before, the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) said this week.
In presenting its Crime Analysis for the 2023 period (commencing January 1st to November 30th), the RSLPF provided a breakdown of offences committed island wide during that time and a comparison to previous years.
According to Corporal Tavius Mathurin, the research was based on crime statistics provided by all police stations and departments within the RSLPF.
The analysis which was presented to journalists at a press conference on Thursday revealed some troubling information but also showed some positive signs.
“When we look at the crimes for (2023) we see that for the period January to November we recorded a total of 15, 357 cases of crime, revealing a decrease in crime compared to last year which accounted for 17,719 cases. (For) the detection rates we saw 15,195 cases were accepted by the police out of which 8,155 cases were detected revealing a detection rate of 54 percent for 2023. For Crimes Against Persons the year 2023 recorded the second highest, 2937 cases” and 166 sexual offences Mathurin said.
Firearm offences decreased compared to the previous year with 303 cases; 370 were recorded in 2022. Three thousand, three hundred and seven cases of Crimes Against Property were recorded in 2023.
Drug offences dropped significantly as well with 167 cases recorded in 2023. In 2021, the island recorded 235 drug offences-that number increased by one the following year.
According to police, out of the 75 homicides that were recorded in 2023, 70 were murders, four were police shootings and one was deemed unclassified.
Sixteen cases were detected, however, “an individual is currently in custody (for the last murder which occurred) but unfortunately has not been charged as yet,” Mathurin told the press.
The analysis showed that 223 robberies occurred during January to November whilst burglaries stood tall at 562. One hundred and sixty-seven narcotic offences were recorded. Regarding the Stealing of Motor Vehicles, 75 offences were recorded, while 192 offences for Stealing from Persons were recorded.
The following image captures homicide numbers from 2021 to 2023.
A graph showed that in the previous year, out of 72 homicides, 66 murders were recorded. There were four police shootings and two were unclassified. In 2021, out of the 75 homicides recorded, 70 were murders (mirroring the statistics for 2023), two were police shootings, and three were unclassified.
“When we did the breakdown (for the murder categories) it was revealed that 37 cases of murder (were) as a direct result of gang violence and gang rivalry. There were 25 cases which were unknown; five cases … as an outcome of domestic violence, two altercations and one case of robbery where an individual was killed,” Mathurin said.
He added that “when we look at the monthly analysis we see that the month of March recorded the majority of cases… that’s when we had our problem within the south of the island with gang rivalry.” (The following image shows the number of murders committed throughout the year).
“When we look at the division distribution for 2023 the southern division recorded the majority. Most times we would see that the central division has the majority but we have 28 cases within the southern division, the central division, 24, and the northern division 18 cases,” Mathurin said.
In Vieux Fort, for ‘Murder Distribution Per Community’, there were “twenty-one cases; within the Castries outlying communities eight cases, Castries surrounding communities eight cases… in Gros Islet we had six and in Dennery we had eight,” the corporal noted.
The ‘Victim Profile’ revealed that 61 males were killed. In contrast, nine females were killed from January to November.
“The majority were between the ages of 21 and 30 and the balance were actually over 50,” Mathurin stated, adding that for weapons used in murders this year firearms were the most prevalent.
“Firearms are responsible for most of our murders. For the year 2023 it remained constant with the year 2022 recording 56 cases and the year 2023 accounting for the same thing. When we look at the sharp objects there were 11 cases for 2023, two cases of blunt force and one case where other means was used to kill the victim,” he noted.
Nonetheless the analysis showed some promising trends. According to the report, law enforcement successfully solved 198 cases out of 303 cases island wide, revealing a detection rate of 18% in firearm related offences. However, crime is still a major concern for Saint Lucia. But the RSLPF assured reporters that it is doing everything in its power to curtail the issue. And even with a lack of resources, the Force made it clear that it has made significant strides, and moving forward, citizens will possibly see even greater achievements from the RSLPF’s end Police Commissioner Cruscita Descartes-Pelius indicated.