By SANCHESKA BROWN

Tribune Staff Reporter

sbrown@tribunemedia.net 

MURDERS are down 24 per cent this year compared to the same point in 2011,  Minister of National Security Dr Bernard Nottage said yesterday.

In fact, Dr Nottage said, most serious crimes have decreased in the first six months of the year compared to last year.

According to statistics tabled in the House of Assembly yesterday by Dr Nottage, murders are down 24 per cent, robbery is down by 18 per cent, attempted robbery is down by 10 per cent, rapes are down by six per cent, attempted rapes have decreased by 56 per cent and unlawful sexual intercourse has decreased by 43 per cent.

Stolen vehicles are also down by three per cent compared to the same period last year, while stealing is down by 22 per cent and stealing from vehicles has decreased by 14 per cent. Burglary and house breaking have also decreased by 18 per cent and 17 per cent respectively.

However, Dr Nottage did note that armed robbery has increased in the first six months of 2012, compared to the same period in 2011.

He also said that crime for the month of July 2012  decreased compared to July 2011, seeing a significant drop in murder by 74 per cent.

According to Dr Nottage, in July 2011 there were 31 murders compared to eight in July 2012.

There were five attempted rapes in 2011 compared to one in 2012,  unlawful sexual intercourse decreased from 16 in 2011 to 13 in 2012 and robbery is also down from 35 to 25.

Armed robberies however increased, from 77 in 2011 to 81 this year.

Dr Nottage said the statistics are trending in the right direction.

“People are always wanting statistics and they are wanting the commissioner to have them every month but what the commissioner is trying to do and concentrating on is putting in polices, sustaining polices, tweaking policies so that we can get the best effect,” he said.

“It is unfair to expect him to produce statistics every month. When we finish the first six months, he needs time to make sure the statics are right.

No one is trying to hide anything – it is not in our interest to hide anything. What we are seeking to do and what we are seeking to empower the police force to do and what we are seeking to empower the leadership to do, is to severely impact the incidents of crime in our country.”

The murder count in 2011 was 127, the murder count to date is 76.