St. James records continued decline in murders, but robberies up

 

The St. James police say they are doing a satisfactory job in managing major crimes in the division, but they admit there has been an increase in robberies since the start of the year.

 

Senior Superintendent Eron Samuels, Commanding officer for the St. James Police Division, says the police have made some progress in arresting the perpetrators of this crime.

 

Addressing Thursday's monthly meeting of the St. James Municipal Corporation, SSP Samuel said murders are down 57.5 per cent for the review period.

 

"Which will see us at 41 murders compared to 96 this time last year, which is 55 less murders in the division. We are seeing however an uptick in robberies, not just in St. James, but across several parishes. We have done some work and we have caught some of the members of that gang, but there are still some persons outstanding that still continue to give us one and two issues. But all in all, we've been doing some work and I'm happy that water seems to be the bigger issue in St. James than crime," he quipped.

 

SSP Samuels has called for the continued support of councillors and residents to dissuade criminal activities in their areas and prevent the need for restrictions that would negatively impact the local economy. 

 

"Events seem to be a great part of the economy and we want to as best as possible work with the communities so that they can have their entertainment and economic activities safely. What we have recognised over the years is that some violent incidents have occurred within these illegal parties, so we want to ensure that the structure is there," said the senior cop.