Crime Trends in the Caribbean and Responses

• NCJ Number: 199609
• Author(s): Anthony Harriott
• Date Published: November 2003
• Length: 20 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
• Sale Source: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Research Paper
• Language: English
• Country: Austria
• Note: Downloaded on March 21, 2003.

Annotation

This report presents crime trends and law enforcement responses in the Caribbean.

Abstract

In July 2001, the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) established a task force to isolate fundamental causes of the rising crime rate and to develop recommendations for a coordinated response that would reduce the crime threat to visitors and citizens of this region. This report provides a description of the trends in crime in the Caribbean, analyzes the causes of crime, evaluates existing crime reduction strategies, and makes recommendations for future responses. Data were drawn from official crime sources, such as police reports. However, police reports only show the picture for reported crimes, which is assumed to be approximately commiserate with the true crime rate. However, it is known that in Jamaica only about 20 percent of all crimes are reported to police. According to the report, the general crime rate in the Caribbean region was lower in the 1990’s than it was in the 1980’s. While most types of crimes have remained stable over the past 20 year period, violent crimes including homicide have had periods of sharp increase, indicating a likely corresponding increase in drug trafficking in the region. Reports on specific types of crimes are divided into different chapters including crimes against visitors, violent crimes, crimes involving firearms, and drug-related crimes. Major sources of crimes, as reported in section two, are noted to be poverty, economic inequalities within the region, drugs, and political corruption. Section three outlines the recommendations of the task force in terms of crime reduction strategies. These recommendations include the modernizing of police services in junction with a strengthening of the institution as a whole and the improved use of technology. Other recommendations are to improve personnel training, modernize police and citizen relations, and reform of the correctional system in the Caribbean. References