On Friday in the House of Representatives, Minister of State for Home Affairs, Elodio Aragon said the official murder count for 2017 is 142 - which differs from our count of 145. We know what we included, and what the police left off - and we'll settle that when the Commissioner makes his statistical presentation next week.
But, going with that official count, Belize's Murder rate is still one of the highest in the Caribbean. Statistics from the region show Jamaica at the highest with 1,616 murders, a 20% increase from 2016, which leaves them with a murder rate of 56 per one hundred thousand residents. The small island nation of St Kitts-Nevis is second with 23 murders - which is a reduction of 26% - but still the second highest rate of 42 murders per hundred thousand residents. And then Belize is third with its 142 murders officially recorded, a 5% increase over the previous year, which works out to a rate of 37 murders per one hundred thousand residents.
Trinidad and Tobago and St. Lucia follow closely behind with a murder rate of 36 and 34 murders per hundred thousand residents, respectively. Notably, St. Lucia's 60 murders show a 94% increase in killings.
That's bad but not as bad as Antigua whose 20 murders amounted to a 150% increase.
Tomorrow night we'll look at how Belize's rising murder rate compares to the countries in Central America.
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