Belize Crime Observatory says Major Crimes Decreased by 30%

Major crimes decreased over the past eleven months.  That is according to the Belize Crime Observatory which released its crime analysis report on Tuesday.  An overall decline of thirty percent in major crimes was recorded, according to the report.  The Belize Crime Observatory reports that there were eight hundred and eighteen major crimes recorded between January and November 2020, a reduction of three hundred and fifty-two cases when compared to the same period last year.  Homicides increased in November 2020 with twelve murders being recorded, up from eight in October 2020 and ten in November 2019. However, from January to November 2020, murders were down by twenty-one percent, with twenty-five fewer murder victims recorded.  This was due to a reduction in murders from one hundred and nineteen from January to November 2019 to ninety-four from January to November 2020.  According to the report, Belize’s murder rate is projected to fall this year to around twenty-five per one hundred thousand inhabitants, which would be the lowest rate recorded for Belize since 2013. Commissioner of Police Chester Williams shared his views on the crime analysis report.

Chester Williams

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“Whether the murder count goes above a hundred or not I still believe that the police department has done a herculean job this year in terms of combating crime. The last time we had a murder count near a hundred was 2008 or 2013 at which time our population was far less than what it currently is and at which time our gang activities were not as hype as they are currently. So it takes a lot for us to be able to achieve that figure. So I want to tell the public and tell the police that even if it is that we were one murder less than last year it would have still been a good achievement for us. Every life we save is a plus for us.”