And while those stories would seem to suggest that Major crimes are up when compared to this time last year, the Commissioner says they are down!
That was the main discussion at today's Compstat meeting. But while the ComPol says that murders have increased by 13 within the same time period as last year, our numbers are suggesting that it's a bit more than that. But Williams doubled down on their figures, and explained their strategies for curbing the spike in crime.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"The numbers for this year so far for the end of the second quarter or midyear is reflecting a 22% reduction in overall major crime but of concern to me is the increase in murders. Murders are up by 13 when compared to the same period last year. Last year around this time we had 45 and this year at the end of the second quarter we have 58. That number is high but still if we were to compare the number in terms of where we are this year to the previous years excluding last year we'd be down. But we're measuring using last year as our measuring stick and so commanders will be tasked to look at the respective crime fighting strategy to see what can be done to deal with the issues that affects the respective areas. From headquarters we remain committed to see how we can assist with the specialized unit to go into respective areas to do surgical strike operations to get the criminal elements that operate within the respective regions across the country."
Jules Vasquez:
"Sir I'm pretty sure those numbers that you presented are themselves doctored because it's 59 murders as at the end of June, and 41 as at the end June 2023, which represents a 44% increase."
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"That is your view, I don't know where you get your figures from. We are operating based on our Compstat figures and I do not believe in doctoring nothing. I am sure the other media houses will also have a count of the murders and will also be able to compare. I know for a fact that we are 13 above last year that is for sure. Maybe the numbers as I call them may be wrong but we are 13 above last year."
But if you ask the public, they'll say that citizen security is low and they may feel crime is out of control. The ComPol said from an individual perspective they may feel that way, but the numbers don't lie.
Jules Vasquez
"So for you to quote a statistic to say that major crimes are down, it goes against the instinctual feeling of citizens who feel a great sense of insecurity. We saw last night Allan Slusher, a former senior advisor to the government, a 78 year old was held up in his home and his vehicle stolen. There are, one gets the sense more crimes targeting innocent individuals."
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"I am not going to argue against the opinion of any person, if a person was not a victim of a crime last year and they are the victim of a crime this year, for them crime is up so it's a thing that can be looked at individually how as to how people feel but as a responsible media house, I sure that you can attest to the fact that number are indeed down when it compared to previous year and I would ask you to use your influence and your good media house to spread the message and not to make things look worse than what it really is so I challenge you to do that."
Jules Vasquez:
"Sir but how you answer the criticism that because burglaries, robberies and theft under $5,000 are no longer included in the major crime statistics then it has an effect of making the major crimes seem less than they are."
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"Jules, again, you are being extremely disingenuous because you know for a fact that this shift in how we calculate major crimes, that when we look at theft over $5,000 was done during Mr Whylie's tenure, not under my tenure, and you know this long ago. But why now you try to make it an issue just for the simple fact of trying to make things, again, like I said before, look worse than it is. So you want that last year we would not have included theft under $5,000 but this year we must include it just so the numbers are what you want them to be, we cannot operate in such a way."
Jules Vasquez:
"Is that uniform for theft burglaries and robberies under $5,000?"
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"Only for theft."
