ST. EUSTATIUS--“With considerable pride I hereby present to you the crime statistics for 2015. I realize there are many factors that affect an increase or decrease in crime rates, but Police deployment undeniably is an important factor. I’m proud because the crime figures show a clear downward trend,”

said Chief Basic Police Care of the Caribbean Netherlands Police Force KPCN Maurice van Velzen during Wednesday’s presentation of the 2015 crime figures for St. Eustatius at Golden Era Hotel’s conference room.

 

“For some forms of crime this trend is more pronounced than for others, and there are also types of crime that show an increase. Along with all other partners in the crime- fighting chain, KPCN will pay special attention to these types of crimes in order to reverse this trend,” the Police Chief said in providing some nuance on the downward trend.

 

In total, 44 violent crimes were committed on Statia in 2015, consisting of one armed robbery, 13 batteries, 17 threats, five cases of domestic violence, two cases of public violence, and six sexual offenses.

 

Violent crimes showed a decrease, except for the number of threats, which increased by 70 per cent compared to 2014. The number of battery cases was stable, whereas incidents of domestic violence and sexual offenses dropped by approximately 50 per cent compared to 2014, the Police Chief explained.

 

Van Velzen said the “tremendous” increase in crimes committed by juveniles, as well as in sexual offenses during the past three years was remarkable. “This can be partly explained by a series of home burglaries committed by underage suspects. In late 2015, a group of minors was arrested, suspected of committing a series of burglaries.” The number of drug-related offenses remained stable over the course of three years,” the Police Chief said.

 

He said there were “clear peaks” in the second half of the year related to property crimes committed in 2015. He said there were a total of 90 property crimes last year, divided into: home burglary (13), burglary of businesses (24), general theft (23), and car theft (2), theft of (motor) cycles (11), general theft from cars (7), embezzlement (1), and vandalism (9).

 

With regard to property crimes, there was a 50-per-cent decrease in home burglaries relative to 2014. On the other hand, the number of commercial burglaries increased by 50 per cent.

 

The number of property crimes increased slightly compared to 2014. “The considerable increase in the number of thefts of motor vehicles and scooters is remarkable. Property crimes make up the largest share of crimes. Top three property crimes are home and commercial burglaries, other thefts, involving money or phones, for instance, and theft of motor vehicles,” the Chief explained.

 

 

Traffic accidents

 

Addressing traffic accidents, Van Velzen said 27 vehicle accidents, eight of which with injuries, occurred in 2015. Most accidents were recorded in March, July, August and November. No accidents were reported in February, April, May, October and December. The months with the highest total of accidents were March, July, August and November. Compared with 2014, the number of traffic accidents virtually remained unchanged.

 

As to the strength of the Police Force, Van Velzen said that KPCN is a relatively young organization in development, responsible for performing Police tasks in Bonaire, Statia and Saba. “These islands are about 900 kilometres apart, with all the communication and logistical problems this entails.”

 

KPCN was formed on 10-10-10 out of the Netherlands Antilles Police Force. At that time, a total of 151.5 job positions were allocated to the Police. On December 31, 2015, 140.5 full-time equivalents (FTEs) were filled.

 

“It takes time to recruit and train new co-workers. It is our ambition to have the corps at full strength by 2019,” Van Velzen said. Including the Chief of Police, the force in Statia consists of nine KPCN employees and four members of the Royal Dutch Marechaussee.

 

Acting Chief of Police Jose Rosales encouraged the community to work together with the Police to fight crime on the island, and thanked residents for helping them solve crimes on Statia.

 

Island Governor Gerald Berkel wished the Police “continued success” in their crime-fighting efforts.

 

The Daily herald