SVG records the lowest crime rate in 14 years
St Vincent and the Grenadines has noted a reduction in criminal activities this year, with 2021 described as having the lowest crime rate ever recorded over the last 14 years.
In his Christmas address, Commissioner of Police of the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force, Colin John, said crimes continue to trend downwards. Once again, there has been a marked reduction in crimes and criminal activities in SVG over the corresponding period in 2020.
He said at the time of writing his Christmas message; there were a total of 3,562 crimes reported for 2021. This shows a reduction of 31 per cent over the same period in 2020, which recorded a total of 5,148 crimes.
The Police Commissioner said this reduction came about due to different factors, including; improved detection, investigation, and prosecution of crimes, a more determined and focused police force, improved police and public partnerships, and undoubtedly, the COVID-19 pandemic, among others.
John noted gun-related crimes and the proliferation of illegal firearms and ammunition had been a significant concern for law enforcement over the years.
In 2021, law enforcement successfully seized 29 illegal firearms and 484 rounds of ammunition in comparison to 33 and 220, respectively, in 2020.
The Commissioner of Police has warned that a firearm in the wrong hands (especially an illegal one) can wreak unimaginable injury, pain, and death.
He has issued a call for all persons possessing an illegal firearm and ammunition to hand them over to the police immediately. He has assured that persons will not be prosecuted for doing so.
So what is in store for the RSVGPF in the new year? In the first quarter of 2022, the police force will implement the RSVGPF Email Policy.
Under this initiative, every police officer, police station, department/branch will be issued an email address. This will be spearheaded by the Information Technology Unit (I.T Unit). Among the benefits that will be derived from this project are:
- Improved operability in the force
- Faster and more efficient communication between members and departments within the organization.
- Reduction in operational costs, less printing of documents
- Fewer documents to store, thus freeing up storage space
In short, the organization would be using less paper in the future from 2022.
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