UPP calls for public symposium on crime stats

United Progressive Party (UPP) PRO Senator Damani Tabor is appealing to the Royal Police Force of Antigua & Barbuda (RPFAB) to meet with the public in an attempt to boost trust in law enforcement and encourage greater reporting of crime.
Tabor’s recommendation came after residents called into OBSERVER Radio questioning the 2016 report on crime issued by the police. The callers believe the reported numbers did not match the actual number of offences.
They also said that they stopped reporting crimes due to a lack of confidence in the RPFAB.
But the opposition PRO said, “Our suggestion would be that the police force puts on a symposium where they can meet with the public and try to address whatever factors have caused the lack of public confidence and the lack of reporting.”
Earlier this week, lawmen released statistics that showed at the end of 2016, the total number of reported crimes stood at 2,468, almost 500 cases less than what was reported in 2015. In 2015 that figure stood at 2,915.
 
(More in today’s Daily Observer)