The Commissioner of Police Atlee Rodney is reporting that the year just ended was
an ‘active year’ for the men and women of the Royal Police Force of Antigua and
Barbuda with ‘petty crimes’ showing an increase but serious crimes such as
murder remain unchanged.
Addressing the nation through the post-Cabinet press briefing on Thursday,
Commissioner Rodney said the force had to respond to an increased number of
criminal activity as well as monitoring other events, including a general elections
and a by-election.
According to the Commissioner much as it was a very busy year, the force
responded in a professional manner and he commended the rank and file of the
RPFAB for their efforts in this regard.
“In spite of the challenges, there was a slight increase in the number of criminal
reports we had to respond to when compared with 2022. What we noticed is that a
large number of cases were solved during the year, some of which were from
previous years. This has resulted in an increase in the number of matters before the
High Court and the Magistrate’s Court,” he reported.
There were a heightened number of police activities during the year; including
more search warrants, stop-and-searches and more patrols. These, he added, have
benefited the organization greatly.
“As a result, our seizure of firearms has increased significantly over the previous
year. This shows the commitment of the officials as well as the cooperation we
have received from members of the public,” he stated.
For the year under review, Larceny rose from 1,000 to 1,141; breaking and larceny
declined from 886 to 779; while wounding rose from 228 to 278.
Importantly, in the case of murder, the number of cases remained the same with 10
recorded in 2023, the same amount recorded for 2022.
The full report from the police is attached.
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