An overall decrease of 8% in serious crimes has been recorded at the end of March this year in comparison to last year, but robbery under arms has increased by 21%, the police reported yesterday in a press release.
The offences that were monitored include murder, robbery under arms, robbery with violence, break and enter and larceny, burglary, rape and kidnapping.
According to the release, the total number of reports of serious crimes made by March 31 this year was 968 compared to 1,053 at the end of March last year.
There continued to be a decrease in murders during this year in comparison to the same period last year, 2011, with a total of 33 murders recorded at the end of March last year in comparison to 28 murders for the same period this year; a 15% decrease.
And of the 28 murders, 13 were of the disorderly type, 6 domestic related and 1 execution-type, while the other 8 are so far unclassified.
Meanwhile, robbery under arms has increased by 21% up to March this year, with 246 reports compared to 203 for the same period in 2011.
The police noted that the statistics indicate an increase of 14% in the number of armed robberies involving the use of firearms, and a 34% increase in armed robberies where instruments other than firearms were used by the perpetrators.
In relation to traffic, there has been a 15% reduction in road fatalities at the end of March this year in comparison to the same period last year, with 22 fatalities this year and 26 last year.
The year also continues to see significant reductions in relation to the other categories of traffic accidents – serious, minor and damage, the release stated.
Pedal cyclists so far are the main road users affected with 7 of them having lost their lives on the roads by March this year while 6 drivers and 5 pedestrians have also lost their lives up to March.
Speeding, the police pointed out, is once more a major contributing factor to fatal accidents, causing 14 of the 21 fatal accidents at the end of March this year.
The police said further that they are continuing enforcement activities along with the use of breathalysers and radar guns and traffic education, and at the end of March this year a total of 17,974 cases were made against errant motorists. Of this total 4,411 cases were for speeding.
In the meantime, it should be noted that for April so far there have been two fatal accidents resulting in the death of two persons, the release concluded.
