Amit befitting the name of his website caribbeansignal.com has expanded monitoring of key events to neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago. This is important surveillance for Barbados given Trinidad’s nexus to Barbados. David, blogmaster There have been at least 43 murders in Trinidad for the month of January. The data presented below was collected and compiled from…
Amit befitting the name of his website caribbeansignal.com has expanded monitoring of key events to neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago. This is important surveillance for Barbados given Trinidad’s nexus to Barbados.
David, blogmaster
There have been at least 43 murders in Trinidad for the month of January. The data presented below was collected and compiled from the online editions of the following news sites: The Guardian, LoopTT, Express and Newsday. During the month of January, these websites were checked periodically and reports of murders were recorded.
27 responses to “‘Contagion’ Effect – 43 Murders in TnT”
robert lucas
I haven’t visited T&T for some years now. It was a great place to visit between 1968-1982. One could go anywhere(night or day) without being harmed. Barbados will soon be like Trinidad. It is sad about T&T.
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fortyacresandamule
I lived in T&T ( 1989-1992). I was there during the coup detat. Back then the murder tally was probably less than 120 annually. Last year T&T had at least 515 murders. Trininidad murder statistics is a paradox, especially, given its relative high GDP per capita in the region; very low unemployment rate; a decent HDI score; and a generous welfare system by emerging country standard. Trininad is the only country I know that has the highest murder per capita with all those glowing attributes above.
@David. Even the social scientists are confused by this contradiction. But the main theories making the round are: drug trafficking ; organised criminal syndicates; government corruption; promity to venezuela; a porous border and the proliferation of illegal firearms on the island. T&T muder rate really started to take offf during 2003. This was the year when kidnapping became a major issue, up until 2007. Since then they haven’t look back.
Do you have a feel for the view that the proximity of Trinidad and the degree to which our business is intertwined with Caricom borders we should be so worried?
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fortyacresandamule
The Bahamas had 96 murders in 2019 . A relatively significant reduction, because The Bahamas average around 115 murders since 2011. St Kitts and Nevis is reporting a 48% reduction in homicide for 2019. The St Kitts government had to call in the RSS to curtail the rampant gun violence. The RSS have been on the island since october 2018. Ian Allen crime watch programme had 538 muders for T&T in 2019.
The Bahamas, T&T, and Barbados have probably the highest nominal income per capita in the Latin america and the caribbean region. For 2019, their muder rate per 100000 comes out to: Bahamas (25.1) , T&T (39.8) and Barbados (17.1). Those numbers are very high relative to other countries that have similar nominal per capita income level.
Seems there is enough data for Amit to do some statistical analysis.
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fortyacresandamule
@David. That’s a reasonable concern. If we are seen to be a soft target the situation could be exploited and with that the consequences that follow.That is why continuous vigilance is key.
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Piece the Legend
De ole man left school at 11.
And had was to fend fuh meself all these years as an octogenarian
Heheheheh (behave wunna selves!)
Bereft as I am of the education and scholarship that wunna bright people possess de ole man would only wish to suggest as to whether there is any noticeable difference in the occurrence of murders AND VIOLENT ASSAULT in poor economic groups vis a vis rich people!
In short, me ingrunt self want to find out effin, poor ass people kills more dan rich people!
Ensuingly de ole man WOULD ALSO WANT TO KNOW EFFING, de crimes dat rich people commit, de non violent, white collar crimes IS RH GREATER DAN DOSE DAT POOR PEOPLE COMMIT!
And since de ole man, academically challenged de ole man, Not Being an Amit CANNOT SUGGEST DAT, IF POOR PEOPLE ENT GOT NO ECONOMIC OPTIONS dat violence and murder gine be RH greater among we SCVUNT that it is among wunna big up people communities.
Though wunna asses does do more non violent, white collar crime dan we, BUT DOES GET LOCK UP LESS!
One RH question!
How many white people or RH indians in Dodds today?
But I ent bright like wunna RH so excuse de ole man for putting me mouf in dese advanced topics!
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Piece the Legend
@ the Honourable Blogmaster your help please
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Artax
“Though wunna asses does do more non violent, white collar crime dan we, BUT DOES GET LOCK UP LESS!”
@ Piece the Legend
As you already know, I’m appallingly ignorant as a result of learning by rote. But, your above comment caused me to ask myself a few questions. So, I said “self?”… “yes”…. (that’s myself answering me)…… “what does Piece the Legend actually mean when he ‘said’ white people and Indians ‘does do more non violent, white collar crime dan we?’….” By the word “we,” I’m assuming you meant black people.
According to the FBI, “the term “white-collar crime” was reportedly coined in 1939 and has since become synonymous with the full range of frauds committed by business and government professionals. White-collar crime is generally non-violent in nature and includes public corruption, health care fraud, mortgage fraud, securities fraud, and money laundering, to name a few.”
I’m sure you’re aware “we” significantly out number the whites, Indians, Pakistanis and Arabs living in Barbados. Whereas those other races prefer to be self-employed or work for each other, “we” love to work for them or in the public sector.
Let’s look at the public sector and public corruption. Since “we” dominate the “civil service,” I’m sure the other races are not responsible for circumventing the rules, for a “small fee,” to ensure people, (including the other races), for example, could receive their passports, driver’s license, police certificates of character, tax clearance certificates, tax refunds or NIS benefits the same day they applied for them.
For a “small fee”, some Custom Officers are known to waive duties for their relatives and friends; charge their own rates to clear containers or take items or money “to look the other way;” Police Officers are known to “get” parking tickets, traffic violations and certain criminal charges squashed; Immigration Officers circumvent the policies relating to the application of status, work permits, etc.; BRA officers issue tax clearance certificates without the applicants filing tax returns or calculate tax returns so the “filer” won’t have to pay taxes.
How about approving contracts for “draw backs?” There are similar occurences in the private sector. And, of course you are aware of lawyers and politicians; contributions to political parties for “favours;” ……. and these examples are just the “tip of the iceberg” relative to the “non violent, white collar crimes dat “we does commit.”
So, I’m at a loss why you could conclude their “asses does do more non violent, white collar crime dan we, BUT DOES GET LOCK UP LESS,” under circumstances where “we” don’t get locked up for public corruption, AT ALL.
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TheOGazerts
@piece,
Let me take the very first stab.
A very good and reasoned argument. above.
So on one end of the crime is a civil servant, and on the other end are those who would attempt to corrupt the system.
I suspect that piece would willingly concede that the civil servants will be predominantly black, but when we look at the other half of a crime, I suspect the other groups will be more highly represented than their proportion in the population.
Man, all the races are equally corrupt and are causing equal pain. All that Artax has said is true. Any public services can be bought in Barbados and everybody knows it. And nobody gets a day, black, white, red, brown or yellow for it.
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TheOGazerts
WB: Lawson
Good to see you.
Nowhere did I mention smart or white
But I like how you pointed out “we” are under-performing at corruption.
Will try to raise our game.
^My one wish for 2020… no more jokes from Lawson 🙂
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Artax
Public corruption was ONE of the examples I listed as white collar crime.
As such, I believe the sentence re: “Let’s LOOK at the public sector and public corruption,” is self-explanatory.
In other words, I FOCUSED specifically on public corruption.
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fortyacresandamule
Firearm tracing data show that the majority of illegal guns confiscated and those used to commit murders in the region originated in the USA. Indirectly, we have become collateral damage of US gun laws.
The same zeal and enormous resources the US deploy to prevent drugs entering their shores ( a losing battle according to some) should be extended the other way to help reduce the massive influx of illegal guns. Is that too much to ask for, considering that millions of visitors from the USA visit the region annually?
Therefore, instead of having a panic attack over China’s investments in their backyard, this is the area of focus they should really be concerned about.
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Hal Austin
Some time ago the ATF formed a partnership with Caribbean nations to trace guns used in criminal offences. Whatever happened to that deal?
Who benefitted most from that deal, the US or Caribbean?
Thanks for your insightful interventions on this topic. Much food for thought. We have the on the ground/micro issues then there are the macro your last common identified.
“To be fair to the defendant, what is required is quick justice; and to that extent the Government has made available the resources so
there is no excuse for us not to be able to turn around a murder case or a serious criminal case, in particular a gun-related crime,
within six to nine months of the charging of the accused person,” she said
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fortyacresandamule
@Hal. The ATF do provide firearm e-traceability and training across the region. Even Bim have access to such service. Caricom IMPACS agency together the INTERPOL also provide training in illicit arm traceability. .
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Piece the Legend
@ Artaxerxes the Superlative Archiver
I must admit that de ole man’s base sets of data were complexioned by where my jurisdictional data was coming from (enough said/admitted on that)
The points you made about white collar crime, in Barbados, is pertinent, pointed and correct AND, GIVEN THE POPULATION SIZE, and composition, there are more of us, involved in the white colour corruption, than “them”
I bow to an abstract concept well argued particularly for Barbados.
My “point of ingress” was primarily based on economic inequalities and their axiomatic effects on who are majorly represented in violent crime and commensurate prosecution.
Even, as such relates to drug sales, I was suggesting that it is the economic issues of OPTIONs AND LACK THEREOF, which directly impact the circumstances of people of colour and lead to “our” involvement in (drug sales and) violent crime.
“Lead up a child in the way that he should go, for when he becometh old, he shall not depart from it…”
I guess that my cry relies on the obvious which is, based on the OPTIONS that are available to these less fortunate persons WHO ARE POOR, they are more highly represented in this aspect of highly antisocial behaviour in our society.
And you are right!
I have made the statistically unsupported, but newspaper evident claim, that, in Barbados, it appears that, THERE ARE NO WHITE PEOPLE INVOLVED IN ANY OF THESE CRIMES! ( and, being exposed here to your calibre of reasoning will append this by saying that, if they are “involved” they are not caught!)
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Piece the Legend
Collar (white collar) not colour and Train up not “lead” up. De grandson would tell de ole man grandad, your English getting bad in your ole age and you is not writing de Queen English
But I tell dat boy that de ole man lef school at 11 so…
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Paul Bentham
Its horrific to think of 43 murders in one month as compared to the 49 we had for all of 2019.
The murder rate I’m sure probably compares, and with an examination of qualitative data, the specific nuances responsible for
homicides in each jurisdiction would probably vary.
While studying in Trinidad in the early nineties, it was relatively safe to move around, and a trek from Santa Cruz in the North,
to POS was routine.
I was surprised at how this changed on my last visit there in 2006. My host forbade me to leave home alone.
Inasmuch as Trinidad will always be one of my favorite places to enjoy, I am hesitant to think of traveling there with this current
state of affairs,
With even the robust policing regimes as instituted by the Commissioner of Police, the murder rate is still appears to be out of
control.
There are clear catalyst that are driving violence among criminal networks across the Caribbean sea, and the impact as
manifested in our communities, with this unprecedented rate of murders is something that we must tackle as a region.
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