National Security Minister concerned

Minister of National Security Sir Vincent Beache is not pleased with the number of unsolved murders the police have on their hands.

Sir Vincent, who marked 30 years as an elected representative December 5 this year, expressed his concern while making his contribution to this country’s Budget last week Thursday. {{more}}He noted an upsurge in serious crimes and quoted the number of killings, which are baffling the police as nine.

The amount of murders here for 2004 stood at a record 28 up to Tuesday evening.

Among the unsolved murders engaging the police’s attention is that involving Vanesster Loraine whose decaying corpse was found one week after she went missing April 3. Details of her death are still being pieced together and no one has yet been charged in relation to that killing.

The carnival weekend turned up some additional puzzles for the police. Saturday July 3, the body of Silma Wallace was found at White Chapel in Kingstown. Her death in a temporary toilet, apparently from strangling, continues to baffle the lawmen.

July 6, Decima John, who was due to testify in a rape case in which she was the victim was shot dead outside her home in Carriere. That still remains a mystery to the authorities here.

Another Carnival time murder was that of Antonio Cuffy who was gunned down on the Shipwreck during a carnival fete at the popular entertainment spot on July 7. That like the others, remains unsolved.

As the upsurge in violent gun related murders continued to spiral here, Livingstone Primus died on the street at Sion Hill August 23. He was shot in an apparent drive by in a case which still remains a mystery to the police.

Peter ‘Kazaman’ Joseph, a taxi operator, died in a hail of bullets in an incident at Fountain on Monday 29; this case up to now still unsolved.

One week later, the trend intensified when Franklyn Williams, a sailor home for the Christmas vacation was shot dead with a single bullet to the head as he left a discotheque on December 6.

The number of unsolved murders has been rising yearly and is a serious concern for authorities.

While this year has thrown up this heavy number of unsolved murders, there was only one for all of 2003 when the body of former police Inspector Oswald Regisford’s was found at his residence at McKies Hill just outside capital City Kingstown.