Crime figures fluctuate over past decade

ST VINCENT and the Grenadines has witnessed a record murder count in 2023, with 52 total homicides, including 43 firearm-related murders, marking the highest numbers in a decade. Despite 2012 holding the record for 7,540 total crime reports in a year, 2023 witnessed a remarkable decrease with 3,406 fewer crime reports compared to that record-breaking year.

Statistics from the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force reveal a fluctuating trend in crime reports since 2012, with declines until 2018 and 2022, followed by temporary spikes that again fell off in subsequent years. The year 2012 saw 28 murder reports. In 2018 of the 6,065 crimes reported, 34 were murders, a decrease from the record-setting 2017 when 5,621 reported crimes.

In 2022, there was a new high of 42 murder reports among 4,070 crime reports.

The year 2021 stood out as one of the most peaceful in a decade, with 3,997 crime reports, including 32 murders. The Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVGPF), attributes the decrease for that year to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the initial seven months of 2023, there was an average of 367 crime reports, with the highest number, 381 occurring in March. After the tragic mass shooting incident on July 21, 2023, uptown Kingstown, law enforcement intensified their crime fighting efforts across various areas of the country.

Between August and December, the average number of crime reports stood at 313, marking a significant 14.7% decrease compared to the period from January to July.

As the police presence is becoming less visible, crime, including violent crime, is slowly ticking back up, most notably after the 92-day gum amnesty period, which ran from March 1 to May 31.