In 2022, police in St. Vincent and the Grenadines arrested and charged 11 persons with murder, while 19 were arrested but not charged. So far in 2023, 13 people have been arrested for murder, while 18 more were taken into custody but not charged.
Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves revealed the information in parliament on Tuesday, prior to the presentation of the estimates, stating that investigators are awaiting forensic and ballistic reports in a number of recent killings.
“In 2022, there were 28 gun-related fatalities, five stabbings, five traumas, one strangulation, two cut wounds, and one major burn, so 42 cases which were listed as murders by the police. This year, the police have identified 49 murder cases under investigation.”
According to Gonsalves, the media has a tendency to say homicides, but not every homicide is a case of possible murder.
“Aside from murder, there are other types of homicide; one example is manslaughter, but there are others as well. “All of the cases are being investigated, and the police commissioner informed me that several would see arrest made soon, both for outstanding charges from 22 and 23.”
St. Vincent and the Grenadines, according to Gonsalves, is a member of the Regional Security System, the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security, and Interpol, which assists with crime-related concerns.
In 2022, the island reported 42 murders, and 49 of the 51 killings this year have been classified as murders.
