Murders still below 400 in 2020 so far

WITH THE MURDER TOLL standing at 394 for the year, Trinidad and Tobago has experienced the lowest murder rate in eight years.

According to statistics, in 2012 Trinidad and Tobago had 383 murders – 31 more than the year before. Since then, the toll had been trending upward until last year, when the murder rate reached its second highest in TT history, with 538. The highest number of murders in one year was in 2008, when 550 people were killed.

With 24 hours left in 2020, the murder rate would stand at 144 less than last year. This also means that for the first time in eight years, the murder toll in TT is under 400.

According to month-by-month statistics provided by the TTPS, murders were being committed at a higher rate than last year for the first two months.

In January the murder toll went up to 46. Last year, January saw 40 murders. In February 52 more murders were committed. The number of murders committed that month in 2019, was 44. So by February this year there were already ten more murders than the year before.

But at the end of the first quarter of the year, murders took a nosedive. With 35, 33 and 25 murders committed in March, April and May respectively, a significant difference in the murder toll was seen.

Aside from a spike in June which raised the murder toll by 40 that month, murders continued to stay under 40 per month, until the end of the year. This month there have been 23 murders so far. Last December, there were 40. The first murder for the year was committed in California, Central TT. Reynold Chinapoo was found on the side of the road on Bahadoor Street, bleeding from gunshot wounds to the head. He was taken to Couva Health Facility where he died.

By the time 32-year-old Guard and Emergency Branch officer PC Allen Mosely was killed, the murder toll was 224. Mosely was shot in the head and chest at Seales Avenue along Morvant Old Road. Shortly after his death three men – Joel Jacobs, Israel Clinton and Noel Diamond – were killed by police. This set off a series of events which led to fiery protests at the fringes of the nation’s capital, and the death of Ornella Greaves who was shot by a stray bullet during the protests.

Police have however since denied that Mosely’s killing was connected to the police-involved killing of the three men.

Ashanti Riley, an 18-year-old girl who was found dead in Santa Cruz pushed the murder toll to 369. Relatives went to the police when she left her Lloyd Street, San Juan home to meet her boyfriend and cousins who were going to her grandmother’s birthday celebration in Cocorite, but never showed.

Her naked body was found in a shallow watercourse about 60 feet from the road. A San Juan man was since arrested and charged for her murder. A total of 47 women were killed this year.

The latest murders were that of Naresh James who was shot dead at his Petersfield, Cunupia home and Christian Stoll who was killed on Jai Ramkissoon Housing Settlement Brazil.

Gunmen stormed James’ house and snatched up his wife and held her at gunpoint. James, who was outside the house at the time was shot eight times in front of his wife. He died on the scene.

Stoll was walking along Gomez Avenue in Brazil when a gunman emerged from some bushes and chased him. Loud gunshots were heard and Stoll was found lying motionless on the roadway.

Despite many people making the observation that the murder toll dipped on the same month that TT closed their borders and began stringently observing social distancing rules which in the first instance made it mandatory for people to remain indoors as much as possible, Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith said TT had experienced less crime during covid19 while countries around the world had more.

“There has been an average 25 per cent reduction in crime and over 140 murders less than last year,” Griffith said in a release to fellow police officers “This reduction has come about because of the great work you did during these challenging times.”

In the release, Griffith commended the officers for their efforts during Carnival and a general election which was seen as mostly incident-free.

Griffith also made a point to highlight that murders were not the only reduction for the year. In another release he pointed out that there was a 41 per cent reduction in kidnapping, 70 per cent reduction in kidnapping for ransom, 31 per cent reduction for robbery, 22 per cent reduction for house break-ins, 24 per cent reduction for wounding and shootings, 25 per cent reduction for sexual offences including rape, 19 per cent reduction for larceny of motor vehicles and a 25 per cent reduction in road traffic fatalities. All amounting to an over 30 per cent reduction in serious crime.