Murder toll lowest in nine years

As of Wednesday, January 2, 2019

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE country closed out 2018 with 91 reported murders, the fewest in nine years, according to The Tribune’s records.

Not since 2010, when 94 people were murdered, have fewer than 100 murders been recorded in a single year.

Eighty seven people were murdered in 2009. Authorities are now aiming to keep the murder tally below 90 in 2019, National Security Minister Marvin Dames has said.

He and law enforcement officials have credited police actions for the murder rate decline.

Yesterday, Free National Movement chairman Carl Culmer tied the murder decline to the Minnis administration being in power. “I’m happy that the work of the FNM has paid off,” he told this newspaper, “and that the plans and work we have set (in motion) have paid off. It shows the FNM is living up to one of their promises.”

He nonetheless denied the party is claiming credit for the decline, saying: “We’re not claiming anything. We’re putting the tools in place. If you listen to the minister and commissioner, they say no one can predict when a murder is going to take place, but at the end of the day the most we can do is put the tools in place and talk about prevention. We’re not claiming victory. One murder is too many.”

Police Commissioner Anthony Ferguson is expected to host a year in review press conference next Tuesday, where final crime statistics for 2018 should be presented. Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis is also expected to discuss the murder rate decline in his first national address of the year.

The final 2018 killing to be classified as a murder was a December 21 death of a still unidentified man. Police considered classifying his shooting death near an abandoned building on Hampton Street in Stapledon Gardens as self-defence, but classified it as murder after speaking to witnesses, Assistant Commissioner of Police Clayton Fernander said yesterday.

ACP Fernander said people held in custody have been released while police follow significant leads.

Police recorded 127 murders in 2011; 111 murders in 2012; 119 murders in 2013; 123 murders in 2014; 146 in 2015; 111 in 2016 and 122 in 2017.

Well_mudda_take_sic 5 years, 3 months ago

LMAO

John 5 years, 3 months ago

So there were 1,131 classified murders since 2009, and this decrease in murders in 2018, from 122 in 2017 to 91 last year, represents the second largest drop in a decade. The largest drop happened between 2015 and 2016 when murders dropped by 35 from a record high of 146 to 111. The greatest increase happened between 2010 and 2011 when murders increased by 33, from 94 to 127. And, unfortunately the greatest number of police involved killings in at least eight years happened in 2017 and 2018. And even with a murder total of 91, the country was experiencing a murder every four days last year. But that is compared to a highest number in 2015, when a murder was being recorded every 2.5 days. Hopefully the police can stay on the beat and ensure that the murder count continues to decline and falls below 50 this year (2019). And if not at least a second year in a row when the murder count remains below 100.

birdiestrachan 5 years, 3 months ago

It is foolish for political parties to praise themselves for a decrease in murders. What will they say if murders increase.

Culmer what do you have to say and what did you folks not put in place. as there is a murder on the very first day of the year.

Culmer and roc wit doc smart just alike.

TigerB 5 years, 3 months ago

People only under stand numbers, hence statistics gives an individual a better feel for what is happening as oppose to hearing it from different sources. I found these murder figures in one of my books I had written. As a former police officer the numbers made a lot of sense.

2008- 82 2009-87 2010- 96 2011-127

1997 1998 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
46 56 74 45 52 50 44 52 60 79

1987 1988 1989 1990 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 31 36 46 36 49 45 33 34 41

1970 1975 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1884 1985 1986 16 22 41 25 19 30 23 19 30 28

So as we analyze these earlier numbers, say 15 years we see where our parenting skills have gone wrong. It gets scary from 2006. Go back in your mind that year, but compared to the former commissioner's tours of duty in the triple murder figures, now the police has shown an improvement. It not political, its about leadership. Paul Farquaharson got relieved of his duties in 2009. Reg Ferguson took it over for a year or so in 2010, then it was Ellison Greenslade. from 2011 to last year.The Facts speak from themselves.

John 5 years, 3 months ago

Well if you want to look at the numbers. Most of the triple digit murders happened under the PLP government.
And the decline to 91 is only bringing the numbers back to what they were post PLP. So if you were to use the 146 murders as a peak year in 2015, the question is will the murders only come down to what they were in 2009/2010, or will they come brown to what they were in the 1980’s and 1990’s? The first murder of the year hopefully is not an indication of how the year will be, where the killer comes up on the victim in broad daylight and shoots him in a group of onlookers. These are the types of killers that need to be more aggressively hunted down and, at some point, the punishment for cold blooded murder has to be more than just sitting in Fox Hill at the tax payers expense. Obviously this is not a deterrent.

bogart 5 years, 3 months ago

ERRYONE IN DA..... MEDICAL..... PROFESSION......INCL TELEPHONE RESPONDER....AMBULAMCE DRIVER....... THE WELL EXPERIENCED........BY NOW .....DOCTORS NURSES ...THEATRE SURGICAL TEAM......NEW HOSPITAL WING. THEATRES....NEW MEDECINES.....MUST BE GIVEN CREDIT FOR.........SAVING DOZEN...??....... OF lives of persons getting shoot ..AND....recovering...and NOT BEING ANOTHER .....STATISTIC....TO ADD TO THE HOMICIDE ..COUNT......,!!!!!!...plus even da motorists learn plenty sense over the years to haul they self to the side a da road to quickly let anbulance quickly pass to save somebody life.......

1Life2Live 5 years, 3 months ago

That country is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy toooooooooooooooooooo tiny small to be slammed with all the murders, rapes, and theft. Your unemployment is skyrocketed. Your immigration is the disaster. Too many Haitians. Lighten up the place and bring in Cubans. Turn that place into a small Miami or Columbia. It will help your economy. STOP the Haitians and Jamaicans. Bring in the Cubans and Columbians and Venezuelans. At least they can work in that country. build your economy. Offer citizenship to the wealthy people in South America to setup shop in that country.

For God sake go back to the Crown. Bermuda is in GREAT shape!

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