Despite a small dip in overall reported crime figures this year, police on Wednesday flagged a worrying rise in major offences — including murder, kidnapping, robbery, and endangering life.
“There is provisionally a two per cent decrease in overall crime,” Acting Commissioner of Police Erwin Boyce told a press briefing at the Police Headquarters, Roebuck Street on crime figures up to Monday.
“When I say overall crime, I am referring to reports where they are classified as serious or major or minor offences, including what we call voluntary exchange crime and intimate partner violence offences,” Boyce said.
Police recorded 4 872 crimes, when compared with 4 969 for a similar period in 2024.
“We are not content with that decline, because we are seeing some concerning movement in the total major crime area, which means that we need to focus more on major crimes, and major crimes involve street crimes,” the acting commissioner said.
Major crimes were up 13 per cent year on year, with homicides at 38, compared with 41 for 2024. Reported robberies doubled last year’s year-on-year figures — 213 against 100.
“This is an area that we are now focusing on, since, in analysing the modus in relation to the homicides, 22 were enabled by firearms,” said Boyce.
From January to September, major crimes showed an 18 per cent rise in overall offences against the person, and as a single category, the rate went up by 50 per cent. That category comprises such offences as murder, kidnapping, robbery and endangering life.
The number of sex-related crimes up to last month dropped from 93 to 91, a two per cent fall. There was also a 14 per cent decline in property crimes.
The figures showed that the total number of offences reported for January to September this year went from 4 646 to
4 567.
But Acting Commissioner Boyce sought to assure Barbadians that The Barbados Police Service will not be letting up its efforts to wrestle crime to the ground, particularly as the country prepares to enter a hectic period with thousands of tourists due for Independence Day celebrations next month and the Yuletide season in December.
He said that even though the police service may have achieved some measure of success in addressing crime with an above-average clearance rate of homicide cases, law enforcement officers will not sit on their laurels.
“We will not pause for any tactical operations, and will ensure that we execute a total policing plan for Barbados in the next two or three months. We remain upbeat as an organisation, that you will have a series of events, and they will be safe events,” he said.
“To date, we have achieved much, but such could not have been achieved without the indefatigable zeal by each member of the service, their commitment to the cause and solution and the many sacrifices made, plus the cooperation and support of members of the public. We want to thank those who not only saw something, but said something to us; and as a result, has led to a safer Barbados.”
He also pledged greater police presence across the nation, particularly in certain communities he did not identify.
He outlined a series of strategies which the service will implement for the remainder of the year. Boyce disclosed that road policing will be intensified and the police will engage members of the public at a higher rate, as he asked citizens to continue to support the police.
He said the police will also be going all out to try to reduce the fear of crime “because we think that the fear of crime is perhaps one of the areas of policing that we need to direct some real attention”.
emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb
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