After a spate of violence in the month of May, the Belize Crime Observatory is reporting a 10% increase in violent crimes in the period of January to May of 2021, when compared to the same period in 2020.
The largest increase was seen with the crime of robbery, which rose by 70%. Burglary, theft, and of course, murder also saw increases.
So, just how high did the murders go? Well, for comparison, in the month of May 2020, the country only saw 7 murders. This year, though, there were 21 murders reported in May.
This tally is the highest monthly figure on record since 2009 - joining April 2021 and March 2018 with 21 murders as well.
The tally for the first five months of 2020 showed 48 murders; and for 2021, it is at 51.
The northern districts of Corozal and Orange Walk are the only ones that haven't seen murders for this year. Cayo has seen a significant increase, going from 5 murders in the first five months of 2020, to 15 for that period this year.
Email
Print