Armed robberies have increased by 34% for the period of January 1 to February 29 compared to that of last year, according to police.
At the same time, the police say there has been a significant decrease in the number of murders and road fatalities.
In a statement on crime statistics for the period, police noted that there have been 171 reports compared to 128 last year for the same period. The number of armed robberies using a fire arm had increased by 25% while robberies using instruments other than firearms increased by a whopping 50%, police added.
According to police, 17 murders were recorded thus far for the year, while 23 murders were recorded at the end of February 2011which indicates a 26% decrease. Of the 17 murders, 9 were of the disorderly type, 2 domestic related, while the other 6 are so far unknown.
There has been a 14% reduction in road fatalities at the end of February this year, in comparison with the same period last year, with 18 fatalities this year and 21 last year. The year also continues to see significant reductions in relation to the other categories of traffic accidents – serious, minor and damage.
Thus far, the pedal cyclist is the main category of road users affected, with 6 such persons having lost their lives on the roads up to the end of February. Speeding is once more a major contributing factor to fatal accidents, causing 13 of the 17 fatal accidents at the end of February this year.
The police force is continuing its enforcement activities along with the use of breathalyzers, radar guns and traffic education. As a result at the end of February this year a total of 12,404 cases were made against errant motorists with total of 3,151 cases being for speeding.
