Crime Statistics from First Half of 2015 Show Drops in Overall Crime and Serious, Violent Crimes
Crime statistics for the first half of 2015 have been released and reflect a drop in overall crime of 9.95% in comparison to the first half of 2014. Incidents of serious, violent crime, including armed robbery, rape, murder, aggravated burglary, assault, murder and attempted murder, fell 24%: in the first half of 2014, there were 59 incidents total in these categories, while during the first half of 2015 there were 45 incidents.
“Volume” crimes such as theft, damage to property and threatening offences are also down nearly 20%, while other crimes, such as disorderly conduct, common nuisance, criminal trespass, gambling and animal-related offences, among others, fell 13% on average.
“For the past several years crime across a number of categories has continued to fall, confirming what we already know, which is that Cayman is a safe place to live,” said Chief Superintendent Kurt Walton.
During the second quarter of 2015, however, a noticeable increase in incidents of burglary and attempted burglary elevated the number of overall serious crimes by 14%. Burglaries themselves increased 16.25% in the first half of the year.
“The RCIPS has responded to the burglary problem with a steady pace of arrests,” said Chief Superintendent Walton. “During the first six months we arrested 76 people, up 12% from arrests during the same period last year. Some of the individuals arrested are believed to be linked to several burglaries; in one case, for example, we believe the individual may be linked to as many as ten.” He added, “Burglary continues to be a stubborn problem in our society that will require more than just prevention and enforcement to permanently reduce.”
On the road, there has been a 15% decrease in the number of traffic accidents, from 541 to 462, and an increase of 17% overall in the number of traffic citations and offences. However, there have been six fatalities so far this year in comparison to no fatalities during the first half of 2014, which indicates that while there are fewer accidents on the road, there are more deadly ones. In order to combat speeding, the RCIPS’s special constables received radar equipment in June, which helped lift the number of speeding tickets issued this June to nearly five times the number of tickets issued last June. Nineteen thousand dollars of the police budget for the 2015/2016 financial year has been prioritized for the acquisition of more radar devices.
Overall, it is important to use the islands’ emergency calls for service numbers to contextualize the crime and traffic statistics and gauge the increasing demands on police. According to statistics from the Department of Public Safety Communications, the police responded to nearly 14,000 calls for service from January to June this year, a figure that has climbed steadily in recent years.
“The steady increase in calls for service demonstrates an increasing demand for policing,” observed Chief Superintendent Walton, “and that the public is relying on us more and more.”
See attached.