The crime statistics for the first quarter of 2018 have been released by the San Pedro Police Department (SPPD). The report compares 2018’s major crimes to the same time period in 2017, and according to the figures, there is a decrease in figures, despite the spate of illicit activities lately registered on the island. During 2018, the cumulative statistics for January to April indicate that there were seven less major crimes committed than in 2017, which is equivalent to a 13% decrease.

According to the report, San Pedro also experienced a decrease in the burglary, but shows an increase in theft above $5,000 compared to 2017. Major crimes reported on the island for this quarter include three murders, one rape, 17 burglaries, and seven cases of thefts. There were no robberies and unlawful sexual intercourse reported during this period of the year.

Over the past months, the island police formation has experienced several achievements and some of these starts with the acquisition of a mobile morgue. In the past, when police had to deal with late-night murders, they did not have an adequate place to keep bodies and most of the times they kept the dead under the police station steps covered with bags of ice. The mobile morgue has vastly improved the situation.

Another success for the SPPD was the renovation of their cell block, which now has better facilities for their inmates. The opening of a police booth in the Tres Cocos area of Ambergris Caye was also added to the list of success stories for the island’s police.

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