A report in the website Travelmole published Tuesday quoted statitsics from the CDNN website showing that although much of the violence is gang-related tourists have increasingly become targets for robbery, sexual assault and murder.
"While homicides increased two per cent in Jamaica in 2008, murders were up 38 per cent in Trinidad and Tobago," it noted.
U.S. and U.K. travel advisories issued earlier this year warned warned travelers about increasing violence and "the failure of police in Tobago to apprehend and prosecute criminals."
A U.S. advisory stated: "Violent crimes, including assault, kidnapping for ransom, sexual assault and murder, have involved foreign residents and tourists (and) incidents have been reported involving armed robbers trailing arriving passengers from the airport and accosting them in remote areas…the perpetrators of many of these crimes have not been arrested.”
"While homicides increased two per cent in Jamaica in 2008, murders were up 38 per cent in Trinidad and Tobago," it noted.
U.S. and U.K. travel advisories issued earlier this year warned warned travelers about increasing violence and "the failure of police in Tobago to apprehend and prosecute criminals."
A U.S. advisory stated: "Violent crimes, including assault, kidnapping for ransom, sexual assault and murder, have involved foreign residents and tourists (and) incidents have been reported involving armed robbers trailing arriving passengers from the airport and accosting them in remote areas…the perpetrators of many of these crimes have not been arrested.”
There has been a decline in the number of homicides recorded in Trinidad and Tobago this year. Official figures up to noon on December 15 was 478. The figure for the comparative period in 2008 was 534. The official murder toll for 2008 was 550.
Murders had declined dramatically under the Panday UNC administration, falling to a low of 93 in 1999 but increased each year since the Manning government took office. It climbed from 171 in 2002 to the record 550 last year.
The Trinidad & Tobago government has spent millions on fighting major crime and introduced several new plans. Prime Minister Patrick Manning is on record as saying that his government will win the fight against the criminals.
If one plan doesn't work, he said, they will try another until one works.
That hit-and-miss approach to crime has brought widespread condemnation for the crime fighting initiatives and calls for the resignation of Martin Joseph as National Security minister. But Manning stands by his minister.
The other issue that has bothered people is the refusal by Manning last year to appoint the man recommended for police commissioner by the police service commissio. In vetoing the appointment of Supt. Stephen Williams the prime minister suggested that he didn't have the approriate field experience.
Instead James Philbert was appointed to act and although he has his retirement age, his contract has been renewed while the process of finding a new commissioner slowly chugs along.
According to police figures, 365 murders last year were gang-related, meaning one person died every day in violence releated to gangs.
But the figures also show that the rest - nearly 200 murders - were "innocents" caught in the wave of crime in the country.
In statistical terms this is how it looks:
- In 2000, it was 10 mmurders per 100,000
- In 2001, it rose to 12.58
- In 2002, it went up to 14
- In 2003 It was 20.69
- In 2004 20.07
- In 2005 29.69
- In 2006 28.53
- In 2007 30.38
- In 2008 42.24
Those figures are among the highest in the world, especially when compared with developed nations such as Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.
A glance at 2006 figures gives a clear picture. While Trinidad and Tobago recorded a murder rate of 28.53 per 100,000 in that year the homicide rate in the U.S. was 5.7; in Canada it was 1.85 and in the UK it was 1.37.
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