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Trinis take the lead in murders
Jamaica up 15%, T&T rises by 65%
Darryl Heeralal dheeralal@trinidadexpress.com
Monday, October 6th 2008
BLOODY JOB: T&T crime scene investigators at work.Trinidad and Tobago's society is comparatively more violent than Jamaica and we are getting worse based on the number of people murdered here so far this year.
Jamaica has consistently been in the top three homicidal nations worldwide in the last five years, with an average murder toll of over 1,000 per year-about three murders a day and 50 homicides in one weekend are nothing new for police over there.
Up to August 18, our Caribbean neighbour had listed 1,050 murders and it is believed that the murder toll there will this year surpass 2005's record of 1,674 homicides.
For the same period last year, with 913 murders recorded, the homicide rate increased by 15 per cent based on figures on the Jamaican Constabulary Force's website www.jcf.gov.jm.
Compare this with the almost Mt Everest climb in the murder rate in Trinidad and Tobago this year over 2007.
This country's homicide rate went up by 65 per cent compared with Jamaica's 15 per cent.
Between January 1 and August 18, murders were recorded at 340, 134 more than 2007 (206).
Murders here have now surpassed 400, with 500 a possibility at year's end if trends of more than a homicide a day continue, police say.
At October 5 last year, 260 murders were recorded, at least 150 fewer than this year.
At the weekend, the murder toll in Jamaica was over 1,300.
Our Caribbean neighbour has become infamous internationally for its high murder rate, thanks to the amount of negative media and other publicity in North America and Europe.
Travel advisories from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and other European countries, as well as country profiles from the BBC and CIA World Factbook, all warn about murder and violence in the land of reggae.
Trinidad and Tobago has now gained such a reputation, as shown in similar reviews, publications and profiles which are being consistently updated as the situation here worsens. Publications continue to compare both islands along crime lines.
What is even more interesting is that the comparative increase in murders in Jamaica up to August 18 this year over 2007 (15 per cent) is less than the total increase in homicides for all of 2007 (1,574) over 2006 (1340), 17 per cent.
Here it is just the opposite.
In 2007, murders (392) went up by 5.6 per cent over 2006 (371).
This against the comparative increase of homicides up to August 18 this year over the same period last year of 65 per cent, more than ten-fold for the overall increase in 2007.
Below is table comparing murders in Trinidad and Tobago with Jamaica since 2002.
Editor's note: The murder toll in Trinidad and Tobago as of yesterday was 411.
Jamaica up 15%, T&T rises by 65%
Darryl Heeralal dheeralal@trinidadexpress.com
Monday, October 6th 2008
BLOODY JOB: T&T crime scene investigators at work.Trinidad and Tobago's society is comparatively more violent than Jamaica and we are getting worse based on the number of people murdered here so far this year. Jamaica has consistently been in the top three homicidal nations worldwide in the last five years, with an average murder toll of over 1,000 per year-about three murders a day and 50 homicides in one weekend are nothing new for police over there.
Up to August 18, our Caribbean neighbour had listed 1,050 murders and it is believed that the murder toll there will this year surpass 2005's record of 1,674 homicides.
For the same period last year, with 913 murders recorded, the homicide rate increased by 15 per cent based on figures on the Jamaican Constabulary Force's website www.jcf.gov.jm.
Compare this with the almost Mt Everest climb in the murder rate in Trinidad and Tobago this year over 2007.
This country's homicide rate went up by 65 per cent compared with Jamaica's 15 per cent.
Between January 1 and August 18, murders were recorded at 340, 134 more than 2007 (206).
Murders here have now surpassed 400, with 500 a possibility at year's end if trends of more than a homicide a day continue, police say.
At October 5 last year, 260 murders were recorded, at least 150 fewer than this year.
At the weekend, the murder toll in Jamaica was over 1,300.
Our Caribbean neighbour has become infamous internationally for its high murder rate, thanks to the amount of negative media and other publicity in North America and Europe.
Travel advisories from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and other European countries, as well as country profiles from the BBC and CIA World Factbook, all warn about murder and violence in the land of reggae.
Trinidad and Tobago has now gained such a reputation, as shown in similar reviews, publications and profiles which are being consistently updated as the situation here worsens. Publications continue to compare both islands along crime lines.
What is even more interesting is that the comparative increase in murders in Jamaica up to August 18 this year over 2007 (15 per cent) is less than the total increase in homicides for all of 2007 (1,574) over 2006 (1340), 17 per cent.
Here it is just the opposite.
In 2007, murders (392) went up by 5.6 per cent over 2006 (371).
This against the comparative increase of homicides up to August 18 this year over the same period last year of 65 per cent, more than ten-fold for the overall increase in 2007.
Below is table comparing murders in Trinidad and Tobago with Jamaica since 2002.
Editor's note: The murder toll in Trinidad and Tobago as of yesterday was 411.
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