Barbados has recorded a 24 per cent drop in overall crime for the past year.
Updating the country on the status of criminal activity for 2020 and 2021, newly-appointed Commissioner of Police Richard Boyce said Thursday that some 5,391 crimes were reported in 2021, compared to 7,079 for the corresponding period in 2020.
This represents a reduction of 1,688 reported cases or a 24 per cent decline in total crime.
Providing a breakdown in the categories of offences, the top cop disclosed that major crimes, which include murder, rape, aggravated burglary and theft from the person, fell by 28 per cent last year.
He explained that 951 cases of major crime were recorded in 2021 as against 1,323 in the previous year.
The police commissioner said that other reported crimes such as public order breaches, assault and crimes against property, decreased by 23 per cent last year.
“There were 32 murders recorded in 2021 when compared to 41 in 2020, a decrease of nine cases or 22 per cent. The murder rate moved from 15 per 100,000 to 11 per 100,000 (population estimated at 280,000),” Boyce stated.
“Firearm-enabled murders moved from 26 in 2020 to 17 in 2021, a reduction of nine or 34 per cent.
“The provisional figures up to the end of November 2021, show that firearm-enabled crimes accounted for 228 as compared with 381 for the year 2020,” the Commissioner of Police added.
He explained that firearm-enabled crimes include murder, robbery, assault with intent to rob, aggravated burglary, endangering life/shooting at with intent and all other crimes committed with the use of firearms.
Boyce said that other firearm-related crimes up to November 2021 totalled 128, while there were 178 cases recorded for 2020.
This category of crime, he noted, included possession of a firearm, use of a firearm, possession of ammunition and other firearm-related crimes, such as supplying a firearm.
Turning his attention to illegal drugs, the top cop said the provisional statistics provided up to the end of November 2021 show that there were 924 crimes in this category.
But he pointed out that for the corresponding year, 1,440 such crimes were reported.
Boyce then drew attention to the incidence of domestic violence.
“The services of the Family Conflict Unit were very much in demand during the past year and the Unit responded with appropriate interventions as required.
“The provisional figures for domestic violence up to the end of November 2021 were 491 reports, while in 2020 there were 498 such reports,” the police commissioner concluded.
emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb
