The Belize Crime Observatory is reporting that from the months of April to June 2024, major crimes have decreased by 15% when compared to the same period last year. During this time, the police department recorded 239 major crimes: 30 murders, 10 rapes, 40 robberies, 118 burglaries, 25 thefts, and 16 cases of unlawful sexual intercourse.
But while major crimes reported a decrease in that time period, murders for the first six months of the year have increased sharply. In 2023, the murder count from January to June was 44, and this year, it is 57.
Between April and June 2024, reports of domestic violence have decreased by 8% when compared to the same period last year. This represents 67 fewer reports. While last year there were 337 cases, this year there are 373.
In terms of the month of June 2023 versus June 2024, murders increased by 50%, rapes decreased by 60%, robbery went up by 36%, burglaries down by 21%, theft decreased by 44% and the number of reports of unlawful sexual intercourse remained the same, with 7 cases reported in each month.
