Ganga: Police fiddling crime figures

Police officers are deliberately not reporting crimes, to avoid doing follow-up investigations, claimed Opposition MP for Caroni East, Ganga Singh, on Friday in a motion on the adjournment of the House of Representatives.

Saying crime numbers were under-reported, Singh slammed: “There is no integrity in the statistics of the Police Service.” He said St Helena had recently seen an upsurge in crime including robberies and burglaries, but despite a letter from the Kiwanis requesting a police post, the local police superintendent had argued that the area had few reported crimes.

Singh listed the crimes committed against St Helena’s businesses in 2002 and 2003, saying: “R and RS Drug Mart — they were held up four times in 2002, and in January and February 2003. “That is not appearing in the police criminal statistics. Hong Kong City Restaurant was held up June 22, 2002 — not appearing in the official police statistics. “St Helena Drug Mart was held up on February 11, and April 8, 2003. Boeing Restaurant was robbed in March 2003. Fred’s Minimart was held up in November 2002. There have been four car-jackings in the St Helena area between November 2002 and November 2003.” Saying he had compiled this list himself, Singh said they did not appear in police records.

He said: “These are all crimes where the police came to the scene but they never entered the data in the statistical log in the Police Service. This is a serious matter...The crime statistics of the Police Service lack integrity. This is our experience, and it is our understanding that what is happening in St Helena and environs is a microsm of what is happening throughout Trinidad and Tobago...Crimes are reported but not officially recorded”.

Singh elaborated: “The police do not enter into the official documents the crimes committed. So then there are no reasons to go and investigate the crimes. So you get repeat offences taking place... “You will no longer have confidence in the ability of the police to respond. It will lead to a breakdown in civil society...Where the ordinary citizen is not in any position to ensure investigation of the crime, it will lead to anarchy. “Already recognising that they cannot depend on the police for protection, you have certain elements in the society offering protection to these residents, extra-State elements...The police are seeking to look good by not reporting the crime (claiming) ‘You have less crime in Trinidad and Tobago’.”

He said the police needed a proper way of accurately reporting crimes. Ministry of National Security Parliamentary Secretary, Anthony Roberts, gave figures for St Helena from January 1, 2002 to March 31, 2003. For the two local police stations he listed the crimes committed and those “solved”, but he didn’t define whether this term meant that an alleged perpetrator had been merely arrested or actually convicted. Roberts said Caroni Police Station had seen 109 serious crimes of which 19 were solved, 93 minor crimes of which 40 were solved, and 163 minor offences of which 27 were solved.

Of the serious crimes, under murder/shootings/woundings six crimes had been committed of which one had been solved. Of 25 burglaries, one had been solved. Of 39 robberies, one had been solved. Of 10 larcenies including cars, one had been solved. Of eight larcenies of house, none had been solved. Of nine crimes of rape/incest/sexual offences, four had been solved. Roberts said Piarco Police Station had seen 139 serious crimes of which 90 were solved, 71 minor crimes of which 56 were solved, and 145 minor offences of which 101 were solved.  The bulk of the serious crimes, some 58, were narcotics offences of which all were solved. Piarco reported no murder/shootings/woundings. Of 15 burglaries, one had been solved. Of 12 robberies, four were solved. Of eight rapes, four were solved. Of 21 larcenies including cars, just two were solved. Roberts concluded: “The Government is satisfied and supports the manner in which the police record data of crimes committed against the residents of St Helena, Kelly Village and environs.”