There is no upsurge in crime – Police Commissioner

Even in the face of terrifying attacks by armed bandits across the country and a damning travel advisory by the U.S Government against travel to the country because of crime, Police Commissioner Leslie James on Monday afternoon insisted there was no upsurge in crime.

What if citizens take his statement as a joke? James would not respond to any such perception.

In fact, he said comparative figures from last year show crime is down by 2.7 percent. He said the Police statistics are based on actual crimes reported to the Police Force and would not respond to claims that the statistics may be an indication that citizens do not have confidence in the Force and hence do not report crimes.

Referring to the recent U.S. travel advisory, the Police Commissioner said that he spoke with an official of the U.S. Embassy and indicated that crimes reported to the Embassy were not reported to the Police.

Questioned about whether that is an indication of the lack of confidence in the Force, the Police Commissioner referred further questions to the U.S Embassy in Georgetown.

He put down claims of an increase in crime to “a few sensational crimes” reported by the media. He followed on by assuring citizens and foreigners that “crime is not” on the increase.

James further contended that he was “informed and aware there have been much improvements” in the Police responsiveness to crimes.

He pointed out that if any citizen experiences or encounters any lacklustre response after a call is made to 911, there are channels in the Force to which complaints can be made.