Crime down 8% in South Trinidad

(TRINIDAD NEWSDAY) SOUTHERN Division Sup Yussuf Gaffar yesterday boasted of a high number of seizures of guns and a reduction in murders in his division between January and September this year, as compared to last year for the same period.

Gaffar said there has been an eight per cent reduction in serious crimes overall compared to crimes reported last year.

He gave the statistics yesterday, at the weekly police press briefing at the Police Administration Building in Port of Spain.

Between January 1 and September 30 last year, there were 59 murders. This year there have been 52.

In 2017 there were 69 shootings and woundings, and this year there were 66.

Gaffar also noted that there were reductions in reports of car thefts. He noted an increase of reports of robberies for the year so far, but said police intend to reduce the number by the end of the year.

The reductions were major, when one considers statistics for the previous years, he said, and he was happy about them.

He commended hisofficers for their hard work and the community for its assistance, and said more patrols in the area, and community programmes, like the Crime Prevention Programme, have contributed greatly to the reduction in crime in the division.

The Southern Division comprises ten police stations in Barrackpore, Gasparillo, Marabella, Mon Repos, Princes Town, San Fernando, Ste Madeleine, St Margarets, St Mary’s and Tableland.