Significant Crime Reduction in Trinidad

POLICE are reporting a 17 per cent reduction in reported serious crimes during the period January 1 2018 to April 14, 2018, when compared to the same period in 2017.

In 2017, the total number of serious crimes recorded during the period stood at 3,773, as opposed to 3,125 in 2018.

According to an Express count, there have been 161 homicides for the year so far. For the same period in 2017, there were 157 homicides.

According to a statement from the Police Service, reports of woundings and shootings decreased by 21 per cent, with 155 reports being recorded for the mentioned period in 2018, compared to 196 for the same period in 2017.

Burglaries and breakings were also reduced, with a total of 645 reports being made in 2017 as compared to 473 reported cases in 2018. This change reflects a 27 per cent decrease.

Reports of offences such as rape, incest and other offences of a sexual nature were reduced by 21 per cent as 192 reports were recorded for the period in 2017 when compared to 151 for the same period in 2018.

Fraud offences saw a 51 per cent drop and reflected a total of 199 reported cases in 2017 when compared to 98 reports received for the same period of 2018.

Reports of general larceny reduced by 15 per cent and revealed a figure of 583 reported cases in 2017 as opposed to 496 reports being received in 2018. The offence of larceny dwelling house saw a reduction of 56 per cent as there were 82 reports made during the period of 2017 as compared to 36 in the current year 2018.

Reports of larceny motor vehicle were also reduced by 47 per cent as our records show a total of 252 reports for the period 2017 as compared with 133 in 2018.

There were increased detections with respect to Narcotic offences with 150 seizures in 2018 when compared to 142 for the same period 2017. This represents a six per cent increase in the detection rate in the current year.