24 Murders in 2023, down 30 percent says TCI Police 

Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer 

#TurksandCaicos, December 29, 2023 – Murders are down over 30 percent in 2023 versus the year prior according to official police data.

“As a result of our strategies to tackle serious crime, the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force has seen a significant reduction in some areas compared to last year, 2022. Homicides have decreased by 30.3 percent,” said Rodney Adams, Acting Commissioner of Police, during a National Press Conference on December 22. 

A total of 24 murders have been recorded for 2023 versus the 34 in 2022; one of them coming after an armed robbery on December 30.  A 33-year old man died from five gunshot wounds.

Adams also detailed other types of crime all of which had reductions including Robberies (down 47.1 percent), and the discharge of Firearms (54 percent). He maintained that police were getting better at detecting homicides as well, the statistic for 2023 stood at 39 percent, up from just 6 percent in 2022.

In addition, a total of 27 guns was recovered and five suspected gang members were brought before the TCI courts under the Anti-Gang Ordinance. While far from the comprehensive breakdown of crime statistics that residents require, it was the most detailed look into crime trends this year.

Capping the year, the 2023 Christmas season which saw increased visibility and patrols from law enforcement agencies was described by residents as extremely peaceful.

In response to Magnetic Media queries, Adams expressed an overall willingness to work more closely with the media to share information and indicated that the force was now working on quarterly releases of information for the public.