According to the crime statistics issued by the Belize Police Department today, major crimes for this year have seen a decrease since 2012. The stats – which are for the months of August, September and October – are showing a decline in homicides in the past three months. There were 119 murders recorded at the end of October 2012, while for that same period this year, there were 88 murders. The frequency of another major crime – robbery –has also decreased, from 413 incidences last year to 236 for the same period this year.

One of the only crimes that is on the increase is theft; so far this year there have been 845 cases of theft, while there were 777 such cases up to the end of October last year.

While there has been a decrease in the number of major crimes that were committed in October of this year, as compared to October 2012, the decline actually has been taking place gradually since August, in which 114 major crimes were reported. Then, in September there were 111 reported incidents, and last month recorded 73. Those numbers were significantly higher during the same period last year.

Today, Minister of National Security, Hon. John Saldivar, presented his Monthly Awards for best performance for crime reduction that has taken place in an unlikely area, one that is normally one of the country’s crime hotspots –The Eastern Zone, which is headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police Miguel Segura. The Eastern Division accomplished the greatest reduction in major crimes for October, with Precinct 2 performing the best in that area. Assistant Commissioner Segura received a cheque of $1,000 dollars for the outstanding performance by his zone, and he also received a Certificate of Recognition on behalf of Superintendent Alford Grinage, who commands Precinct 2.