Richard ‘Dickie’ Bradley

Attorney Dickie Bradley spoke about the amount of robberies. There were fifty-five more robberies in the nine month period this year totaling three hundred and eighty-one. That statistic, a part of two thousand plus crimes is complicated by the fact that cases take years to be heard by the courts which leaves witnesses either unwilling or unable to accurate recall statements to the court.

Richard ‘Dickie’ Bradley, Attorney

“The figures for robbery and burglary are high: eight hundred burglaries for the first nine months of last year; eight hundred and odd for the first nine months of this year. Theft is pretty high. Theft is seven hundred and odd for each nine month period [for] 2011 [and for] 2012. But the thing with robbery is that somebody… apart from theft. Theft is dehn thief your money outta yo house or outta yo bag dah work or from outta yo vehicle or so. Robbery means a person or persons come and confront you with a weapon—a gun, a knife, a machete—to take away your property—your cell phone; your glass or whatever you have. So robbery is a serious thing because there can be violence in the process and you could end up with murder. Robbery was three hundred and twenty-six last year the first nine months. This year, three hundred and eight-one for the first nine months. And when you look at the arrest record, they are only arresting one hundred and thirty odd persons for each of the nine months period. So if we are asking question why is it that convicting persons is so low in the country, it has to start with the fact that the vast majority of criminal actions, there is no arrest—if the figures are accurate. That explains what is happening in relation to why it is that every time a crime is committee, a large portion of those persons are not convicted. They are not because according to these records, there are not arresting the persons. The total for the first nine months of 2011 was two thousand crimes committed in the major categories of carnal knowledge, theft, burglary, robbery, rape and murder—two thousand criminal offences occurred for the first nine months of 2011. For the first nine months of this year, there were two thousand and seventy total. When it takes a year to bring a case to the court, when it takes two three years to bring a case to the Supreme Court, it is difficult for witnesses to recall matters; witnesses don’t want to come forward after some time. Dehn say what, me noh deh pan dehn timing deh. So that will impact in relation to the amount of convictions you are going to have.”

Bradley was also concerned about the eight hundred and seventy eight arrests for drugs. The figure is deceptive because entire families are hauled to court for drugs found in a house.

Channel 5