As the country recorded its 400th murder for the year, Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams says the murder rate is way beyond what the service had projected. “We wanted a massive reduction but it is obvious that we haven’t achieved that,” Williams said in a telephone interview yesterday. The murder toll for 2013 was 407. Williams said the Police Service statistics recorded 399 murders but lists compiled by independent media houses confirmed that the figure was 400.
There are nine more days until the end of the year. Williams said while the murder rate had not decreased nationally, there was a significant decrease in murders in two divisions. “Two divisions which have nationally had the highest murders in previous years have shown significant decreases, and those are Port-of-Spain and Northern Division.”
Port-of-Spain Division decreased by 38 murders as compared to the same time last year and Northern Division murders decreased by 18, he said. Williams attributed this to the TTPS’ drive to remove guns off of the streets. Police have been able to remove over 560 illegal guns from criminals this year. “Firearms are killing people. In 2014 we worked to get the firearms off the streets and that impacted murders in Northern and Port-of-Spain. We have to push all divisions to do the same thing.”
He said illegal guns will continue to be a problem until issues relating to guarding this country’s ports of entry were improved. He said National Security Minister Gary Griffith was taking measures with the ports and the T&T Coast Guard to improve security at entry points.
While those two divisions showed a decrease in murders, Williams said the Central Division and Eastern Division had shown increases in murder. “The increases in those divisions are where our concerns lie,” Williams said. He said police were doing a detailed study on murder patterns in these areas to better strategise for 2015.
Williams said the police service had improved its work within communities and would continue in this area as crime was a “social phenomenon.” He said there had been a significant increase in the level of positive engagement or sharing of information with the public. “Criminal elements are usually a small group of people in the community. Most of the people in communities are law-abiding citizens.”