Crime in Antigua and Barbuda

Last updated

Crime in Antigua and Barbuda is generally considered to be low. Under the Constitution of Antigua and Barbuda, the Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda and the Barbuda Council may make criminal legislation. The main law enforcement agency in the country is the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda, with the participation of other agencies responsible for the national security of Antigua and Barbuda. The Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force, the nation's military, is also involved in law enforcement.

Contents

Crime in Antigua and Barbuda is increasing, primarily due to a large influx of young CARICOM nationals into the country. In 2019, Antigua and Barbuda had a homicide rate of 2.4, [1] and in 2022, a homicide rate of 10.7. This is significantly lower than crime rates in Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Barbados, as well as nearly every other country in the Caribbean except for Grenada. [2] People living in Saint John are most likely to be crime victims as of 2011, while people living in the tourist-dominated Saint Mary are the least likely. [3] Crime is also extremely rare in Barbuda, with the last murder occuring on a party yacht in 1994. [4]

Types of crime

Violent crime is particularly rare in Antigua and Barbuda. In the year preceding 2011, 1,365 households experienced a crime, with 233 of those households experiencing murder. [5] 75 households experienced a criminal wounding, [6] 34 a rape, [7] 26 a shooting. [8] By far the most common crime in Antigua and Barbuda was housebreaking (violent or non-violent), with 861 households (63.12% of crime impacted households) experiencing it. [9] Property crime is the most common type of crime in Antigua and Barbuda. In the year preceding 2011, 159 households had experienced auto theft. [10]

Refusal to report crime

In the year preceding 2011, 359 households that were victims of crime refused to report it. The most common reason was no confidence in the administration of justice (32.03%), and the crime not being serious enough (24.51%). 40.11% of households that did not report a crime refused to state a reason. Only 0.84% of households said they were afraid of the perpetrator, and 2.51% stated other reasons. Mistrust in the administration of justice is particularly common in Saint John, where 37.39% of households that refused to report in the city and 37.50% in "rural" areas stated this reason. [11]

Geography of crime

Out of the 1,365 households that had experienced a crime in the year preceding 2011, 17.07% had experienced a murder. Crime-impacted households were most likely to be victims of murder in Saint Philip (25%), while Barbudan households (0%) and households in Saint Mary (8.06%) were the least likely to be impacted by murder. [5] However, kidnapping is most common in Barbuda (one household impacted) and Saint Mary (four households). The national average is 2.79% of crime-impacted households being victims of kidnapping. [12] In 2011, some parishes were also reported to be rape or shooting-free. [7] [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder</span> Unlawful killing of a human with malice aforethought

Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse committed with the necessary intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisdiction. This state of mind may, depending upon the jurisdiction, distinguish murder from other forms of unlawful homicide, such as manslaughter. Manslaughter is killing committed in the absence of malice, such as in the case of voluntary manslaughter brought about by reasonable provocation, or diminished capacity. Involuntary manslaughter, where it is recognized, is a killing that lacks all but the most attenuated guilty intent, recklessness.

A violent crime, violent felony, crime of violence or crime of a violent nature is a crime in which an offender or perpetrator uses or threatens to use harmful force upon a victim. This entails both crimes in which the violent act is the objective, such as murder, assault, rape and assassination, as well as crimes in which violence is used as a method of coercion or show of force, such as robbery, extortion and terrorism. Violent crimes may, or may not, be committed with weapons. Depending on the jurisdiction, violent crimes may be regarded with varying severities from homicide to harassment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crime in Canada</span>

Crime in Canada is generally considered low overall. Under the Canadian constitution, the power to establish criminal law & rules of investigation is vested in the federal Parliament. The provinces share responsibility for law enforcement, and while the power to prosecute criminal offences is assigned to the federal government, responsibility for prosecutions is delegated to the provinces for most types of criminal offences. Laws and sentencing guidelines are uniform throughout the country, but provinces vary in their level of enforcement.

In the United States, the relationship between race and crime has been a topic of public controversy and scholarly debate for more than a century. Crime rates vary significantly between racial groups; however, academic research indicates that the over-representation of some racial minorities in the criminal justice system can in part be explained by socioeconomic factors, such as poverty, exposure to poor neighborhoods, poor access to public and early education, and exposure to harmful chemicals and pollution. Racial housing segregation has also been linked to racial disparities in crime rates, as black Americans have historically and to the present been prevented from moving into prosperous low-crime areas through actions of the government and private actors. Various explanations within criminology have been proposed for racial disparities in crime rates, including conflict theory, strain theory, general strain theory, social disorganization theory, macrostructural opportunity theory, social control theory, and subcultural theory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crime in the United States</span>

Crime has been recorded in the United States since its founding and has fluctuated significantly over time. Most available data underestimate crime before the 1930s, giving the false impression that crime was low in the early 1900s and had a sharp rise after. Instead, violent crime during the colonial period was likely three times higher than the highest modern rates in the data we have, and crime had been on the decline since colonial times. Within the better data for crime reporting and recording available starting in the 1930s, crime reached its broad, bulging modern peak between the 1970s and early 1990s. After 1992, crime rates have generally trended downwards each year, with the exceptions of a slight increase in property crimes in 2001 and increases in violent crimes in 2005–2006, 2014–2016 and 2020–2021. As of July 1, 2024 violent crime was down and homicides were on pace to drop to 2015 levels by the end of the year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crime in the Dominican Republic</span>

Crime in the Dominican Republic is investigated by the Dominican Republic National Police.

Crime in Chicago has been tracked by the Chicago Police Department's Bureau of Records since the beginning of the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crime and violence in Latin America</span>

Crime and violence affect the lives of millions of people in Latin America. Some consider social inequality to be a major contributing factor to levels of violence in Latin America, where the state fails to prevent crime and organized crime takes over State control in areas where the State is unable to assist the society such as in impoverished communities. In the years following the transitions from authoritarianism to democracy, crime and violence have become major problems in Latin America. The region experienced more than 2.5 million murders between 2000 and 2017. Several studies indicated the existence of an epidemic in the region; the Pan American Health Organization called violence in Latin America "the social pandemic of the 20th century." Apart from the direct human cost, the rise in crime and violence has imposed significant social costs and has made much more difficult the processes of economic and social development, democratic consolidation and regional integration in the Americas.

Crime rates in Alabama overall have declined by 17% since 2005. Trends in crime within Alabama have largely been driven by a reduction in property crime by 25%. There has been a small increase in the number of violent crimes since 2005, which has seen an increase of 9% In 2020, there were 511 violent crime offenses per 100,000 population. Alabama was ranked 44th in violent crime out of a total 50 states in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crime in London</span> Overview of crime in London, England

Figures on crime in London are based primarily on two sets of statistics: the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) and police recorded crime data. Greater London is generally served by three police forces; the Metropolitan Police which is responsible for policing the vast majority of the capital, the City of London Police which is responsible for The Square Mile of the City of London and the British Transport Police, which polices the national rail network and the London Underground. A fourth police force in London, the Ministry of Defence Police, do not generally become involved with policing the general public. London also has a number of small constabularies for policing parks. Within the Home Office crime statistic publications, Greater London is referred to as the London Region.

Crime in Haiti is investigated by the Haitian police. Since the late 2010s, the country has suffered from widespread gang warfare and civil unrest, including a massive prison breakout in 2024. It also suffers from extreme corruption and high levels of sexual violence.

Crime in California refers to crime occurring within the U.S. state of California. The principal source of law for California criminal procedure is the California Penal Code.

According to the Louisiana Uniform Crime reporting program, there were 177,710 crimes reported in the U.S. state of Louisiana in 2018. The year 2018 had the fewest non-violent criminal offenses since at least 2008. Violent crime decreased from 2017 to 2018, but 2012 still remains the lowest with its record of 22,868. Rape went up 12.7% from 2017 while murder/non-negligent manslaughter declined 7.8%. Additionally, robbery dropped 15% and aggravated assault dropped 1.5%. Handguns remain the leading murder weapon with a rate of 44.7% with firearm following close behind at 35.7%. Together, these two contribute for 80.4% of the murders. Similarly, robberies were committed mostly with firearms in 2018. Firearms were leading with 52% and strongarm listed with a percentage of 35%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crime in Minnesota</span>

Crime in Minnesota encompasses a wide range of unlawful activities that occur within the state, regulated by both state and federal laws. While crime rates in Minnesota are generally below the national average, certain areas and types of crime have garnered public attention.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Criminal law of the United States</span>

The criminal law of the United States is a manifold system of laws and practices that connects crimes and consequences. In comparison, civil law addresses non-criminal disputes. The system varies considerably by jurisdiction, but conforms to the US Constitution. Generally there are two systems of criminal law to which a person maybe subject; the most frequent is state criminal law, and the other is federal law.

Crime rates in Connecticut are lower than in the United States as a whole and have fallen significantly over the past decade, according to the 2021 Crime in Connecticut Report. This pattern holds true overall, and for most types of crime.

Violence against men comprises violent acts that are disproportionately committed against men or boys. Men are overrepresented as both victims and perpetrators of violence. Violence against women is the opposite category, where acts of violence are targeted against the female gender.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crime in the Philippines</span>

Crime is present in various forms in the Philippines, and remains a serious issue throughout the country. Illegal drug trade, human trafficking, arms trafficking, murder, corruption and domestic violence remain significant concerns.

Under-reporting usually refers to some issue, incident, statistic, etc., that individuals, responsible agencies, or news media have not reported, or have reported as less than the actual level or amount. Under-reporting of crimes, for example, makes it hard to figure the actual incidence of crimes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demographics of Barbuda</span>

Demographic features of the population of Barbuda include population density, internet access, crime rate, and other aspects.

References

  1. ↑ hello@interactivethings.com, Interactive Things. "Violence Info – Antigua and Barbuda". apps.who.int. Retrieved 2024-12-21.
  2. ↑ "dp-intentional-homicide-victims | dataUNODC". dataunodc.un.org. Retrieved 2024-12-21.
  3. ↑ "Crime by parish" (PDF).
  4. ↑ Michael (2024-09-20). "'Computer Challenger Murders': Man involved in killing of four visitors in 1990s released from prison". Antigua Observer Newspaper. Retrieved 2024-12-21.
  5. 1 2 "Murder-impacted households by parish" (PDF).
  6. ↑ "Wounding by parish" (PDF).
  7. 1 2 "Rape-impacted households by parish" (PDF).
  8. 1 2 "Shooting-impacted households by parish" (PDF).
  9. ↑ "Housebreaking by parish" (PDF).
  10. ↑ "Auto theft in Antigua and Barbuda" (PDF).
  11. ↑ "Reason not to report crime by parish" (PDF).
  12. ↑ "Kidnapping victims by parish" (PDF).
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.