Police statistics for up to August this year compared to the same period last year showed that serious crime was down by 2% but armed robberies were up by 23%.
A police statement yesterday said that a decrease of 2% in serious crimes has been recorded at the end of August this year in comparison to last year. It said that the total number of reports of serious crimes made by August 31 this year was 2498 compared to 2542 at the end of August last year. The offences monitored included murder, robbery under arms, robbery with violence, larceny from the person, break and enter and larceny, burglary, rape and kidnapping.
Ninety-two murders were recorded at the end of August 2011 in comparison to 81 murders for the comparable period this year; a 12% drop. Of the 81 murders, 38 were of the disorderly type, five were committed during armed robberies, 16 were domestic related and five were execution type. The other 17 are in the undetermined category.
Robbery under arms jumped by 23% up to August 2012, with 670 reports compared to 544 for the same period last year. The statistics showed an increase of 17% in the number of armed robberies involving firearms, and a 35% spike in armed robberies where instruments other than firearms were used by the perpetrators.
In relation to traffic, there was an 18% reduction in road fatalities up to the end of August this year in comparison to the same period last year, with 65 fatalities this year and 79 in 2011.
Pedestrians are the main road users dying with 20 such persons having lost their lives on the roads by the end of August this year. 15 pedal cyclists and 14 drivers of motor vehicles also died up to August this year.
Speeding continues to be a major contributing factor to fatal accidents, causing 44 of the 61 fatal accidents at the end of August this year.
The police noted that up to Sunday September 9, 2012, there were four fatal accidents resulting in five deaths for the month.
