Robberies up 100% in first part of year
(CNS): A more than 23% fall in all crime for the first quarter of 2015 was tainted by a 100% increase in robberies, according to statistics released by the police. The latest spree of booze shop heists came after the 31 March, making armed hold-ups a major headache once more for the RCIPS. The figures show serious crime increased in the first few months of the year by 1.6% although overall crime was down 23.64%. Meanwhile, traffic offences increased by 37% and there were four road fatalities in the first three months of the year. However, this grew to seven this month, making a very bad start to the year on the roads.
The statistics, which are posted below, were released Thursday and they show a fall in many crime categories, but robberies have doubled and burglaries are also still climbing by a fraction. With two killings already this year, compared to one in the first quarter of 2014, murder increased by 100%. Firearms offences were identical, with four both years in the first quarter.
However, drug arrests fell by almost 25% and theft decreased from 190 cases at the start of last year to 123 this, so overall police dealt with over 200 fewer crime reports in the first three months compared to 2013 but the fall was undermined by the increase in murder and robbery.
On the roads, while cops netted 42% fewer drunk drivers, and 16% fewer tickets were given for phone use behind the wheel, speeding increased by 114% fueling a further increase in the total of traffic offences. Between January and March 1630 traffic offences were recorded compared to 1193 in the first quarter of 2013.
No one was killed on the roads in the first three months of 2014 in stark contrast to a terrible and worrying start to 2015 with seven people killed including a jogger and a cyclist in the past week. Despite the recent reports of a number of serious collisions and pedestrians being hit in recent months overall traffic accidents fell 25% according to the statistics with 208 recorded during the start of 2015 compared to 208 last year.
A healthy crime rate justifies our colonial masters presence and relevance along with their absurd salaries. With that in mind why in the world would you implement a crime strategy that works? Poor old Cayman yet we still believe.
CNS – It’s actually, “A more than 23% fall in all REPORTED crime for the first quarter of 2015.”
There’s huge difference.
I suspect that much of that drop simply reflects the fact that many of us no longer to call 911 unless it’s serious. But RCIPS could also be fiddling the stats by deciding what is or isn’t a ‘reported’ crime – this has been a major problem in the UK for years. Last year it was reported that many UK police forces, where most of our senior RCIPS officers seem to come from, were under-reporting crime by roughly 20%.
In the UK an unrecorded crime is classed as one that is reported to the police, but the officer(s) involved decide not to record it as an offence. It would be interesting to hear what policy RCIPS has on this.
All you Loyal subjects out there in La La land see on these totally safe streets eh! Nuff Respect hit the nail on the head.
How are we supposed to draw any meaning from these statistics when the enforcement part of the equation is so inconsistent?