Minister of National Security Marvin Dames yesterday boasted in crime taking a dive during his tenure in office during his contribution to the budget debate in the House of Assembly. 

He said for the first quarter of 2019 overall crime was down by seven per cent compared to how the numbers stacked up last year the same period last year. 

Mr. Dames said, “the Bahamian people would recall that, for the first time in nearly a decade, the murder count in The Bahamas did not exceed the 100-mark last year.

“This  was primarily as a result of a number of new and timely policy directives, combined with a clear understanding of strategic goals, followed with sound execution by law enforcement. Thus far for 2019, we are seeing a continuation of this downward trend.”, he added. 

The Minister also noted that crimes against the person are down by 16 per cent as a number of prominent offences trended downward including armed robbery are down by 20 per cent. 

He also said that rape is down by 29 per cent, unlawful sexual intercourse is down by three per cent, and  robbery is down by nine percent. 

Crimes  against the property, he said, are down by five per cent, as a number of offences have decreased including housebreaking which is down by 37 per cent, shop-breaking down by 16 per cent, and stolen vehicles down by 27 percent. 

He said, “It is important to note that despite these significant double-digit decreases in key categories of crimes, the one notable trend that is negatively impacting the overall figures is the category of stealing.”

He added, “The Commissioner has indicated to me that he will be placing a greater emphasis on this offence category, with particular focus on the offence of stealing from vehicles, with the hope of bringing the numbers in this category down. The decrease in crime during the first quarter of this year has improved over the same period last year when only a one percent decrease was observed.”

As of yesterday, there have been 37 murders, a decrease of 21 percent compared to the same period in 2018, when 47 murders occurred. 

As murder rates have been decreasing, the National Security Minister said, detection rates have been increasing. 

As of yesterday, 24 or 65 percent of murders have been detected or solved, which, he said, means that persons have been charged.

 He noted that the decreases and other successes are not occurring by coincidence, but by carefully thought-out and deliberate changes in the way the police force conducts its crime fighting strategies. 

Mr. Dames also cautioned Bahamians everywhere, that despite the decreases, the government is still a long way from achieving its objective of a crime free Bahamas.