All major crimes in the country are down by 13 per cent, according to Commissioner of Police, Ellison Greenslade.

Mr. Greenslade, who held a press conference with the media yesterday, said everything with the exceptions of attempted rape, armed robbery, attempted robbery and shop breaking has all seen a decline in the first quarter of the year when compared to the quarter to date in 2012.

Murders and attempted murders recorded a 26 per cent and 60 per cent decline so far this year.

There have been 28 murders so far to date when compared to the 38 up to this same period last year.

Rape has a seven per cent decrease amounting to 27 cases reported so far this year when compared to the 29 last year.

Cases of attempted murder, unlawful sexual intercourse, stealing, stolen vehicles, house breaking and robbery also declined.

Meanwhile, attempted rape has seen a 700 per cent increase with one rape up to this point last year when compared to the eight already recorded this year.

Shop breaking has also seen an increase of 10 per cent with 256 this year to date when compared with the 233 over the same period last year.

“It is a result of the hard work of the officers of this organisation with the full support of the people of the country,” Commissioner Greenslade said about the reason for the decline in major crimes.

“Our operations are intelligence-led as I’ve said before. Urban Renewal is still producing very good work. The community-based policing umbrella, under which urban renewal falls, is still a major thrust of this department. Officers are walking in the streets, they are in the classrooms and community organisations. Together as a people we are making tremendous strides.”

He said no one needs to discount the police’s ability to be intelligence-led and to do good work.

“I’m sure that the public will agree that the police are more visible,” he said.

“There is a lot more work to be done and we will not rest on our laurels. Our saturation patrol initiatives continue to deliver good results. We seem to be going in the right direction.”

The commissioner was also asked about the public’s perception of crime despite a decline in the numbers.

“It’s an issue of trust and confidence in the police,” Commissioner Greenslade said.

“When a commissioner is appointed it has a lot to do with his integrity. It’s not good for people to second guess the commissioner. I have the facts. I’m not given to lying and I’m not prepared to challenge any one in authority over me. There are days when I’m very disappointed about comments made coming from various sectors of the community which does no good for this country. I prefer that we join hands to make things better in this country.

Commissioner Greenslade said the police as well as citizens have a country to save.

“That is where I want us to put our energies toward,” he said.

“The facts are the facts that we give to you.”