St. Vincent sees alarming surge in criminal activity, over 2000 reported in 2024

St. Vincent and the Grenadines: The police officials in St. Vincent said on Wednesday that there has been a surge in criminal activity on the island, with over 2000 crimes reported so far for 2024.

The statement was given by Assistant Commissioner of Police Trevor Bailey during a recent press conference held at the Police Headquarters. He said that the force is deeply concerned about the increasing homicide rate and gun-related crimes.

According to Bailey, the number of reported crimes for the year so far in St. Vincent is 2022. He noted that for the same period in 2023, there were 2212 crimes reported, which, although it shows a slight decrease of 190 crimes, representing an 8.4 percent decline, the number is still high.

He said that with respect to the homicide number for the year so far, the police have recorded 28 homicides, with 26 being classified as murders and 17 of which are related to guns.

Witnessing this surge in criminal activity, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, last month, vowed to root out criminal elements and also summoned a meeting with the police high command.

He said that this activity is not acceptable and he is in talks with the police officers to talk about such strategies which can be put in place to combat the illegal activity.

Meanwhile, the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force has also stated that they were executing innovative policing techniques while retaining tried and true practices.

They further urged the general public to respect one another’s lives and resolve conflicts in a more civilized, responsible, and friendly manner. 

The police officers are also conducting patrolling on a rotation basis every night and in all regions of St Vincent in order to curb the increasing criminal activity and charge those who are trying to create a nuisance in the area and are taking innocent lives just for the sake of their own satisfaction.