Police officer: Tobago seeing increase in gun crime, murder

As investigations into Tobago's five murders for the year continue, police sergeant Joseph Jordan has admitted to an increase in gun-related crimes on the island.

Speaking on Tobago Updates on Monday, Jordan gave statistics.

He said Tobago serious crime figures for 2023 to date were lower than for 2022, with a 32 per cent decrease in reports.

But serious crimes include murder, and the change in that figure is for the worse.

“We are judged in this country on our murder rate. In 2022, for the same period we would have seen two murders, and for this said period in 2023, we are now seeing five murders, and most of them are gun-related.Therefore, the serious report crimes are going down but that most serious one of murder is going up.”

He said it reflects “a bitter-sweet atmosphere in a bitter-sweet state and it creates a level of concern, because yes, the serious crimes are going down but we have five persons dead as a result of guns as well as shooting.”

Jordan made one plea to the public.

“Assist (with) whatever information you can. If you see something, say something.

"There are the lines of communication with which you can share information. There are the 555, 800-TIPS and of course you can find a police office you can trust and share information with at some stage.

"I often say, not every single person within the organisation may be considered as being corrupt, because it would mean that our state of security is compromised. If we actually believe that then the organisation of itself is in somewhat of a daunting state, if we cannot trust one single person.”

Tobago murders for 2023 to date:

On February 9, Plymouth resident Nigel Sandy was shot near his home and died at the Scarborough General Hospital.

Alex “Papa” Cooper, 22, originally from Moruga, was the island’s second murder victim; he was gunned down at Logwood Park, Scarborough on April 9.

Lynch Bovell, 49, of Sesame Street, Bethel, died at the Scarborough General Hospital on April 12, after being shot on April 8.

Donneil Thomas, 40, the father of one, from Mentor Drive, Luke Road, in Signal Hill, was a labourer at the THA Division of Infrastructure, Quarries and Rural Development. Police said a gunman shot him at his home on April 27, then escaped.

On April 4, the fifth victim was 68-year-old Edward Eastman, found murdered at Old Ground in Golden Lane.