Violent crimes have been reduced by 34 per cent in 2013 as compared to the same period last year, acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams boasted yesterday.He was speaking at a conference titled "A Country to Defend" at the Hyatt Regency hotel, Port-of-Spain.The feature speaker was former New York Police Commissioner William "Bill" Bratton.Road fatalities, Williams added, were also reduced, by some 22 per cent.
Over the weekend, however, six people were killed in four separate accidents.Despite the reduction in violent crime, the top cop said there still remained a high level of fear of crime among members of the public.Saying policing was always very challenging, Williams added that the public expected a turnaround in the shortest period of time.
"It may not be appropriate for me to say that violent crimes have been reduced by 34 per cent when you continue to hear, and you hear on a regular basis, that persons have been shot and killed," he said. "Will it be acceptable of me to say that serious crimes have been reduced by 30 per cent in 2013, when so many of you know someone who has been the victim of robbery?"He added that statistics would not help alleviate the feeling of fear that pervades the society.
The mandate of the Police Service, Williams said, was to slash violent crimes by 50 per cent for the 2013-2015 period, as directed by the People's Partnership government.He said policing demanded "clear vision" and focus by the leadership team so that the country could enjoy a comfortable environment.Asked how this could be achieved, Williams said it would take deliberate and dedicated effort by all stakeholders.
"I believe we are on course to move our performance from good to great, as nothing short of greatness in policing will suffice for T&T," he said.